In The Shadows
by CelestraMoon
Summary: Watching, waiting, for the perfect moment. Every movement he made they saw, they remembered, carved it into their brain for future use. That man would be theirs, no matter the cost. - EdwardxOC. Stalker fic.
1. Prologue

**I absolutely love stalker stories, like ADORE them. On a list of my most favourite horror genres for fictions it would be second. Anyways, I've been reading a few, and since it's almost Halloween, inspiration struck within me. I hope to have this story finished BEFORE Halloween, and have the finale of it on Halloween day. That's what I hope anyways. I've written pretty much most of it throughout the whole month of Halloween, putting all of my other projects on hold while doing this. Sorry ALLO fans but the next chapter might not be out for a while again ^^;; **

**This is also my first stalker fic, and I hope that you guys enjoy it. I'm going to try and make it as suspenseful, angst-y, gory, and etc as possible. This is probably my first horror fic that I will be posting on here, but there's going to be another coming very soon. So look forward to it!**

**There is an OCxCanon pairing in here, and if you don't like then simply don't read. **

**Everything I do in this story is done for a reason, so remember that as you read. If you think it's slow at some points, or some parts confuse you, just remember that everything is done for a reason.**

**Music is a huge inspiration while writing for me; it helps me keep up the mood of the story if the tune of the song matches the moment. The list that follows is every song that I listened to while either writing or editing, and I suggest that you should listen to a few of them while reading this story. So put on some headphones, turn on the sound, turn out the lights for all I care, and read.**

**Lilium – Elfen Lied**

**F.E.A.R. – F.E.A.R.**

**Mirrors - -**

**Dead Silence Theme**

**Cloverfield End Titles Theme**

**Penumbra Overture Theme**

**Penumbra Theme**

**Trick or Treat – VOCALOID**

**Jasdevi's song – -Man**

**Dark Woods Circus – VOCALOID**

**Alice of Human Sacrifice – VOCALOID**

**Twinkle Twinkle – Dead Space**

**Well, that's at least half of them. There is a lot more, but I'm not going to put a humongous list. Message me if you so desperately want the full list, or if you just have any comments or questions.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my OC and the plot.**

Eyes always seeing, watching, each movement that he made. Never seen, always hidden, deep within the shadows, and never suspected. Barely known, but known, and yet they never even uttered the name. It made anger like fire rise inside, along with the green of jealousy whenever that woman was near him.

Soon enough... That man would be theirs.


	2. Chapter 1

The first official chapter. This story was reasonably easy to write, but also a lot of fun. I hope it heightened my skill and that all of you enjoy it. I love suspense and horror, so I hope that I met that genre reasonably well. Constructive critism is the best, as well as any nice comments. If you have any questions, just review or send me a message.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters. I only own my OC and the plot. **

"Okay, uniform, keys, wallet..." A young woman muttered, counting the objects off on her fingers. Her long dark hair swished behind her as she moved down the hallway of her apartment, and her sapphire eyes darkened upon the realization that she was missing something.

"Left shoe," Another voice added coming from the couch in the room the woman had just entered. The blonde male just mentioned smirked at the girl's surprised look while she looked down at her bare foot, wiggling her toes.

"Dammit!" She exclaimed, hurrying back in the direction she had just recently come from to search for the darned thing. Honestly, it was like the little buggers just loved to hide on her every morning.

"You know you're going to be late if you don't hurry!" Edward Elric called after the woman, the smirk still occupying his lips.

"Oh, here's a thought, help me!" Lilia Julian cried back at him, sticking her head out of their bedroom door to glare at him.

This was an average morning for the two roommates, and had become practically a daily routine. Lilia would forget something, and it would be up to Edward to point it out to her. Without him, the girl would probably forget to even get dressed in the morning, let alone put on her left shoe. Edward tended to tease her about it as well, but that was to be expected from the young alchemist. It was only who he was, and even though Lilia acted mad at him, she didn't mind it as much as others thought.

Although the two of them have been friends for years, now lovers at that, the two still find themselves stuck in little squabbles, or teasing the other immaturely. The two were both nineteen years old, and yet they both didn't seem to want to let go of some of their past routines, unable to face the fact that they indeed weren't the hormonal teenagers they both knew anymore.

Lilia was a nurse's apprentice when the two of them had met. The nurse she was training under had been assigned to watch over Edward after he had been beaten to a bloody pulp from one of his missions. She had been checking his bandages one night, having been given the night shift, and she ended up striking up a conversation, since she had been bored and definitely sleep deprived. From then on, she always managed to snag a place as one of Edward's nurses, and slowly their relationship blossomed.

Indeed, it had been just over four years since the end of Edward's long journey in which to restore his younger brother's lost body. Once having succeeded with that, and visiting all of their old friends, Edward soon found himself restless and bored most of the time. Now that he didn't know what to do with his new free time, he moved back to Central to help with the military again, hoping that that would ease his restlessness a bit. One day, he just happened to run into Lilia again, and they picked up right from where they had left their relationship. A few months later, the two found themselves living together.

Edward didn't move from his spot after Lilia's head ducked back through the open doorway, only scanned his eyes over the living room calmly. There, sticking slightly out from under the arm chair was a white healed shoe.

Edward rolled his head back in the direction of the hallway, calling out, "I spy with my little eye something that is white. Sticking out from under a chair. Dubbed "little bugger" by you."

It didn't take a minute for Lilia to rush out of the bedroom, sliding across the hardwood floor to get to the shoe faster so she wouldn't be any later then she already was. After slipping it on quickly, and double checking if she had everything, she kissed Edward's cheek and rushed toward the door.

"Have a great day off! I'll be home later, love ya, bye!" With that, she slammed the door, and she was gone, high heels tapping against tile flooring before slowing fading away.

Ah yes, Edward had been given a day off today, and even though he should have been thrilled, he was actually the opposite. Now officially under the title of "Colonel", though still Roy Mustang's subordinate (nothing irritated him more than knowing that), he almost enjoyed being given work to do every day. It made his life somewhat interesting, gave him something to do, even if he didn't have to run from town to town anymore on pointless missions. From time to time he still had to, but it wasn't as much as when he was still a mere Major.

If you would have asked Edward Elric if he was bored with his life right now, he would have said yes. However, if you had asked if he was displeased, he would have said no. He wasn't unhappy with his life at the moment, he fairly enjoyed it actually. Getting to see Lilia everyday and dealing with her interesting personality was an upside, especially on special days. He enjoyed seeing Mustang and his crew at work every day as well, though Mustang still attempted to get under his skin a lot. Besides that, though, it was just ordinary day to day life. He almost missed having to deal with the homunculi, and all the other enemies he had faced over the years. That had at least brought adventure and adrenaline into his life. Now he didn't know what to do half the time.

Edward sighed and ran a hand through his bangs, golden eyes subconsciously gazing over at the old clock hanging up on the wall. It was only nine in the morning, and Lilia wouldn't get home until much later, which meant that Edward would be painfully alone and bored for hours to come. He could work on some of the reports that were due tomorrow, but that almost seemed like too much effort for him at this hour in the morning. Edward was never a morning person, and the mere thought of paperwork at 9:00 in the morning was horrible. After that, though, he didn't have much else to do, now did he?

With another sigh, he got up from his spot on the couch and started heading toward the apartment's kitchen. He began to retrieve the reports and papers he needed to sign and finish, when his mind deterred to the thought of breakfast. Deciding to procrastinate longer, he threw down the reports on a nearby counter and started scouring through the fridge and cupboards for something to eat. After coming up with nothing but a note on the now empty box of cereal, and orange juice, and multiple other things, Edward rolled his eyes; but a smile was still found on his lips. Without a second thought, he grabbed his keys and wallet and headed over toward the door. The notes were Lilia's implied message that one of them needed to go grocery shopping, which Edward happily took the job up. He would do anything to get away from work, at least for a little while.

The walk down to the market wasn't very long, and he found himself there in no time. Even with slowing down his walk and taking time to examine the changing leaves of the few trees in Central, he reached the market in shorter time then he first wished. Picking out the food and other things he decided to pick up didn't take that much time, and soon he was exiting the market with two full bags of supplies.

Once more, he slowed his walk, breathing in the cool air. Now that October was here, the weather was starting to get colder, even for a city such as Central. Trees of parks, or lined along the sidewalk, were beginning to change color and lose their leaves. The sky was clear most of the time, and Edward realized that the autumn sky is the most blue of all the seasons. Compared to the fire-like colors of the leaves, it should be.

Not paying attention to where he was going, he ended up bumping into someone, making the two of them stumble back a bit. Shaking off the initial shock, he looked up to apologize only to freeze when he saw dark brown eyes glaring at him. The eyes were small compared to the chubby face they were situated on, and the large body of the woman didn't help this. Edward frowned down at her – silently celebrating that he was taller than her -, matching the woman's unimpressed look.

"Why don't you watch where you're going," She snapped, placing her hands on her large waist.

Edward rolled his eyes, "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. I'll make sure to look out where I'm going next time."

"You sure as hell will. If I didn't have great balance, I would have toppled onto the sidewalk! That wouldn't have been so nice, now would it?" She growled at him.

Edward fought the urge to say that she was so large that it should've been Edward to fall onto the sidewalk, but bit the remark back. He shrugged, and began to walk around her, trying to get home before he had to deal with this woman any longer. She seemed to take the situation far too seriously when it truly was an accident.

"Don't shrug at me, boy! If I had fallen, I could have cracked my skull open!" She ended up exclaiming, making Edward stop once more. "Then I would've sued you for all you got!"

"If you were even still alive to even sue me," He replied dryly, receiving another snarl from the pudgy woman. "Look, it was an accident, I'm sorry. Let's both just forget it happened."

"Easier said than done," She snorted, but allowed Edward to pass now, much to his appreciation.

Edward scoffed at the woman's words when he was a fair distance away, thinking that it really was done easier than stating it. Look, he had already forgotten, and now all he could think about was getting home and making himself a nice breakfast.

* * *

Lilia stood beside the stove later on that day, listening to the boiling water in the pot and observing the cooking noodles inside. Her sapphire eyes shifted over to Edward when the blonde cussed loudly while throwing down the knife he had recently been using to chop vegetables for their dinner. It was also the same knife that had left a reasonable sized cut on his index finger.

Lilia sighed, grabbing his hand to examine the cut, "You gotta be more careful, you know? Luckily, it isn't too deep. I'll go get a band-aid, alright? Wait here."

Before Edward could disagree, she was already exiting the small kitchen and heading down the hall towards the bathroom. He slumped his shoulders in defeat, and leaned against the nearby counter to wait until she got back. During that time, he resorted to sucking on his wounded finger so the bleeding wouldn't get any worse than it already was.

Lilia didn't take long to come back with a tan colored bandage, grinning as she said, "Here I am, back to save the day."

"It's not like I'm bleeding to death," Edward scoffed, allowing her to take his hand again.

"You never know, my dear Edward," She stated, tearing off the pieces of garbage that were covering the sticky sides of the bandage. She placed the bandage over the cut, before placing her rosy lips over the same place. She grinned once more before turning back toward the stove, "There! All better!"

"Ah, yes, what would I ever do without you," Edward commented, smiling wryly toward her back.

"Die from blood loss, or maybe suffocation of paperwork," Lilia replied, "Almost like you did today. I literally almost had a heart attack when I saw you face down on the coffee table until I heard you snore."

"Shut up," Edward shot back, "Do you know how boring doing paperwork actually is? Maybe the next time you have a day off I should leave you a pile to do."

"And allow me to make you look like an idiot? I don't think that's a very wise decision, especially if you don't wish to be demoted," Lilia chuckled.

Edward was just about to make another remark when the phone they had in the hallway began to ring. After receiving a 'busy' from Lilia, he went to go answer it, only to be greeted by the worried voice of Maes Hughes.

"Oh my god, Ed, I've never been so happy to hear that you're home," Maes sighed, obviously relieved to hear Edward's voice.

"Why? What's going on?" Edward asked, suddenly very wary. Lilia peaked out through the kitchen entry with a confused look, but he merely shrugged.

"Is Lilia there too? Is she okay?" Hughes questioned instead.

"Yeah, she's here, and she's fine. What's going on?"

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, before Hughes' voice came back in a chilling voice, "Somebody was just murdered in your area."

"What! Who?"

"I'm not sure. I was just about to head over to the scene myself, but I wanted to make sure you two were alright first."

"I'm going too. Where is it?"

As Hughes told Edward the directions and location of the murder scene, Edward wrote it down on a nearby piece of paper. The location of the murder wasn't too far from his apartment, and that in itself made a chill run down Edward's spine. He was already in danger most of the time as it was, but now this? After Hughes finished, they bid each other good-bye, and Edward shoved the slip of paper into his pocket before heading toward the door.

"Ed, what's going on?" Lilia asked urgently, following after Edward.

"Somebody was just murdered, and I'm going to head down to the scene," He replied, slipping into his boots and pulling on his coat. He looked back toward Lilia to see her uneasy face, and spot her shifting from one foot to the other nervously. He smiled reassuringly, "I'll be fine. Just make sure the door and windows are locked after I leave, alright? And you know where I keep my issued gun."

Edward may not enjoy killing, but since he was in the military, each officer got an issued gun. He kept it on him whenever he went into work, yes, though it made him feel disgusting to have it on him. At home, he kept it in a closed drawer so that his eyes wouldn't have to fall onto the dreaded thing.

"Why aren't you taking it with you?" Lilia asked nervously, grabbing his arm to keep him from leaving, at least for a little while longer.

"I have my alchemy. Besides, I need to know that you have at least some sort of protection, just in case," He assured her, gently pulling his arm out of her grasp. Hugging her quickly, he turned toward the door, "I'll be back soon."

Once the door was closed, he was relieved to hear the click of the lock as it was set into place.

* * *

The scene was a mess. There were military officers everywhere, and yellow safety tape surrounding the area of the murder. Civilians were in groups surrounding the tape and officers, worried and curious looks spread across each of their faces. It took a brief flash of Edward's pocket watch for the officers to allow him to pass, and he immediately began scanning the group of heads for Lieutenant Colonel Hughes. It didn't take long surprisingly, considering the large group of people.

"Hughes!" Edward called out, successfully catching the Lieutenant Colonel's attention, as well as a few others. He walked up to the group Hughes was currently talking with. "Mustang, you're here too."

"Unfortunately," Roy Mustang said, "I would have been on a date tonight if it wasn't for the call I received a little while ago."

"So, what have you guys learned so far? Are there any suspects yet?" Edward wondered, ignoring Mustang's last comment. The two older men exchanged a look. "What is it?"

Hughes shook his head, and began to lead Edward toward the body, "The victim was found approximately twenty minutes ago, but the body appears to have been lying there for at least over a few hours. There are multiple head wounds, and a few bruises along the arms and abdomen, so it appears that the victim put up a good fight."

"There aren't any suspects yet, but that's to be expected since the body was only recently found with no suspicious persons nearby. But... it also depends on what you have to say about this matter, Fullmetal," Mustang added, making Edward give him a confused look.

"Why does my say matter?" He asked, baffled.

Mustang gave him a calm stare, but Edward could see that something serious was going on, "You'll see."

The body soon came into view, and it took everything in Edward's will power not to gasp. The body was lying against the curb of the sidewalk, with her head right against the edge. Blood was splattered everywhere on the sidewalk and the victim, pooling around the head in a dark red puddle. Small brown eyes stared at the group of men in a dead gaze, the short brown hair falling around the pale chubby face. The same eyes that glared at him earlier that day were now asking him why he hadn't helped her. The same face that snarled at him was now pulled in such terror.

"_Easier said than done."_

Her words echoed in his head, mocking him about just how right she was. She really had cracked her skull open on the sidewalk, multiple times in fact, and it definitely wasn't an accident. Especially from what he could see, and from what the words written out on the sidewalk in her blood said.

"**For Edward..."**


	3. Chapter 2

**Here's the second chapter. The suspense starts to build up even more as Edward faces some difficult events after the recent murder. I hope you all enjoy it, and please remember to review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of its characters. I only own my OC and the plot.**

Edward had never felt so watched before. Sure, he had known that the homunculi observed him and his brother to keep a close eye on their movements and research. Even Scar had an idea of what Edward would be doing in his daily life, though not a solid, exact one. Hell, even Mustang knew every movement Edward made, as if he was just a mere puppet on strings. Knowing all of these people had kept a close watch on him was unnerving, but this... This took the cake.

Hughes and Mustang had questioned him on the scene and he had already told the two of them everything they knew. They had thought the same as him, and even Mustang had asked if he wanted somebody to come stand guard at his apartment. He refused the suggestion, and told them that he would be able to take care of Lilia and himself just fine. Maybe he had refused outright because of his pride, or some hidden belief that he really could if it came to that. However, he couldn't know for sure if he could protect the two of them on his own, especially if he had no idea what sort of person this murderer was.

Somebody had to be watching him, it was the only explanation. Why would this mysterious murderer kill that woman the exact way she claimed the outcome of their collision could have ended? Why would they write "for Edward" beside the body? For just some sick prank? Did someone just see that one moment and then do this, just so they can make Edward feel uncomfortable? Why, then? Did this person hold a grudge against him? Or did they favour him? Maybe it was another Edward. Still, though, it didn't make sense why they would kill that woman unless that woman had come across an entirely different Edward. Even then it seemed unlikely.

He just didn't get it. If there had been a person following him around and watching him, why didn't he ever notice? He had spent years travelling around with danger around every corner, making his senses sharp and his mind always on high alert. Now, though, he hadn't even noticed a simple suspicious person, something he could have done so easily back then. It bugged him to know end, and he regretted not realizing that somebody had been following him around today. Probably not only today, but maybe days, weeks, _years_ even, and yet he had only found out about it earlier tonight.

Edward buried his face into his hands. Slowly breathing in and then out, he managed to calm himself, but nothing could make him forget about the dread still curled in his gut.

Edward turned to look behind him when he heard the creak of bed springs as Lilia shifted. He could barely see her through the darkness, especially without the aid of moonlight shining through the window. Right when he had gotten home, he went around the house to make sure that everything was locked and that all of the curtains were closed. He even went to the effort of making sure that the gun that he so much hated was on his bedside table.

Lilia was worried, to say the least, when she saw Edward frantically running around the apartment. She eventually got fed up when her repetitive question gained no answer, and so she ended up cornering him until he finally answered. What she received as an answer scared her, just as much as it had scared Edward. Somehow, she had managed to put on a calm smile and began to help Edward close all the curtains; but Edward saw her fingers shaking every time she closed one. It amazed Edward that she had even been able to fall asleep in her shaken state. However, that luck hadn't been on Edward's side when he decided to get some sleep as well, which explained why he was still awake at one in the morning still thinking about what happened hours before.

Lilia shifted again, rolling onto her side so that she faced Edward's back. The blonde thought that she was still asleep, since the woman tended to be quite the heavy sleeper. He had to drag her off the bed each morning just so she could be able to get ready for work. Without him, she would probably be four hours late every day.

"You're awake?" Lilia's voice suddenly rang out, making Edward jump.

"Yeah... There's just too much on my mind right now for me to be able to sleep," He replied, "You should go back to sleep. Don't you have to work tomorrow?"

"Don't you?" She shot back. He remained silent. Sighing, she sat up and crawled over to his side, "Being alone in the dark is all you need for horrible thoughts to ravage your mind. If it means staying up with you to make you feel better, I'll do it. Besides, I can always call in sick tomorrow. I know Rachel would be able to cover for me if it comes to that."

"Aren't you tired, though?" He tried one more time. When he received silence, and just knew that her sapphire eyes were dully looking at him, he muttered, "Fine. Do what you want."

"That's what I planned," She said triumphantly, and despite the tense air Edward smiled. It soon faded upon the next sentence to leave her lips, "What's on your mind? You know, telling others is the best way to make you feel better."

More silence ensued between the couple, with only the sound of the bedside clock ticking nearby. Lilia shuffled closer to him, attempting to make him feel more comfortable, to make him feel that he could trust her. But he did trust her. Besides Alphonse, he trusted her more than anyone. Whatever it may be, from work to personal thoughts and feelings, he always went to her. She had never wronged him, and he knew that she wasn't about to start.

Finally, a sigh left Edward's lips. His head dropped until his forehead was rested against Lilia's shoulder, making her shiver when his breath ran across her exposed skin. "It bugs me. Why didn't I notice that someone had been following me? Why didn't I even vaguely spot someone suspicious? I work in the military, for God's sake. If I can't notice something evil following me, then what can I do to protect other people?"

Lilia's hand comes up to stroke Edward's hair, something she always did whenever she felt that Edward was upset. She did it to try and make him feel better, and in the end it always did. This time, however, it just didn't seem to be helping.

"You shouldn't feel bad, Ed. You've been stressed over work, and everyone makes mistakes every once in a while," She said softly.

"But I can't afford to make any mistakes. Being in the military can mean life or death," He urged, clenching his eyes shut.

Lilia's movements stopped, her voice now eerily serious, "And you don't think mine is any different? These patients count on me and others to keep them alive, but has that always been the outcome?"

Lilia released a shuddering breath, and Edward could only imagine what could be running through her mind right now. He still remembered multiple times when she would come home upset from one of her patients dying, or be completely terrified from one of the wounded coming into the hospital a needle point from death. Lilia had seen some pretty horrible and upsetting things in that dreaded place, even Edward himself covered in blood and multiple wounds. Even her own father had died in that sickly white place from some sort of disease. A mere_ child_ died right in front of her when she was coming in to give him his medicine, but did she ever give up that job? No. She kept going, and whenever someone would ask why she hadn't quit yet she'd simply say "I want to save people." That's one of the reasons why Edward felt connected to her when he had first asked, because he felt the same way. He wanted to save people, even if it meant that he had to be part of the military.

"Lilia, I-," Edward began, lifting his head. A small hand covered his mouth, making his sentence cut off short.

"You didn't mean to, I know. Like I said; everyone makes mistakes," She sighed, pulling her hand away, "What really matters is what you choose to do about those mistakes that we make. That's what is important, and right now that's what you should be fretting over. Not something that you can't go back and fix. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I get it," He murmured, "But what can I do? I just can't help but keep thinking about what I could've done differently."

"Okay, how about this then? You can mope and fret about this all you want, or you could just find some way to distract yourself. There's work tomorrow, and I'm sure the paperwork will help distract you," Lilia remarked.

"If that paperwork didn't have to do with the murder and the possibility of someone stalking me," Edward replied sourly, "Mustang and the rest are all going to be researching this, and looking up other recent murders and disappearances to see if I had any sort of connection with them. Of course, I have to help."

"I guess that's off the list then..." Lilia said slowly. Edward knew she was trying hard to lift the mood, but the two of them knew she was failing.

"Any other ideas?" He wondered, running a hand down his face. He was exhausted – emotionally, mentally, and physically – but he just couldn't find it in himself to go to sleep. Lilia was right, he needed a distraction, and fast.

"One," She answered, pulling her legs underneath her body so she was sitting on her knees. Edward was a bit taller than her, so she would need a bit of levitation for her face to be the same level as his, even when sitting. "It's the only other thing I can think of."

Her lips descended upon Edward's, and it didn't take a minute for the young man to respond to the kiss. Her idea of a distraction was probably better than any Edward would have been able to think up, and he made sure to show his appreciation through the steadily growing heated kiss Lilia had started. His tongue slid along the seam of her lips, waiting for her to moan before delving his tongue into her mouth. While meshing their tongues together, he managed to push her back against the mattress with him on top, all without breaking the passion filled kiss.

After a few minutes, they broke off the kiss to breathe. Edward's lips found her neck, where he began trailing kisses along it, only stopping to nibble where her neck and shoulder met. A whimper was what he got, along with Lilia's arms wrapping around his neck.

He smirked against her collarbone, "I quite like this distraction."

"Glad it's working," Lilia gasped, feeling his tongue dip into her cleavage. His hands also came up to grasp the hem of the black tank-top she wore to bed, slowly slipping it off of her.

Lilia pulled his face back up to her own, where the two began another heat filled kiss. Her hands ran down his toned and scarred upper body with her nails lightly biting at his skin. She was quite thankful that Edward usually didn't wear a shirt to bed, which made her job much easier in situations like these. Undressing him then wouldn't take as long.

A sudden thump against the window made the two of them stop the deed they were committing, tearing their lips apart to look toward the curtained window. Normally, the two would have just ignored it and continued, but what had happened earlier still had the two on edge. Getting up, Edward slowly moved toward the window, while behind him Lilia moved over to the bedside table where the gun had been given its new place.

Peaking out through a slit Edward had created, he squinted against the sudden light from the street lamps. At first, he couldn't see anything, so he opened the curtain all the way. Still, nothing suspicious caught his eye; there was nothing on the window pane or the street down below. There weren't even any sort of animal on the small and one of the few trees of Central just outside their window.

Sighing, Edward turned back toward Lilia, shrugging his shoulders. She automatically calmed, shoulders falling and muscles loosening in obvious relief. If Edward had opened the curtains and found something or even someone there, she wouldn't know what she would do. Scream, maybe? Or maybe impulse would take over and she would grab the gun she had readied herself near. She knew, though, that Edward would automatically clap his hands and yell at her to run if someone had been outside. It was his nature to protect those around him, and even though she wouldn't want to leave him behind, she would do what he had told her only because she knew he could handle himself. Besides, it would have been up to her to call for help while Edward held them back for as long as possible.

Lilia shook her head. No, she mustn't be thinking about those possibilities. It hadn't happened, so why should she be worrying? She should be relieved, joyful, to know that nothing was outside their bedroom window. She should bask in those feelings, smile at Edward and allow him to feel the relief that she felt. But... she just couldn't. She was still anxious, scared, and trembling; because she knew that there was something dark going on in their lives now. Even though she was scared, she felt sorry for Edward as well. He had already gone through enough, from what with the homunculi and other enemies he's had to face, to the event that happened when he was merely eleven years old. It just wasn't fair.

Edward moved back toward the bed, accepting Lilia's hand once she held it out. Both needy for the distraction they had started earlier, they renewed where they had left off; their tongues waging war for dominance in the kiss and the act that they were committing, and hands running along the others body. As each moan left both of their lips and each movement they both performed, the worries and dread slowly began to vanish from both of their minds. At least for now.

* * *

"Don't you look beautiful today," Mustang remarked sarcastically when Edward entered his office that morning. Everyone had already arrived, but that was to be expected since Edward had arrived at least an hour late.

All of Mustang's subordinates would be helping out on this investigation, and that included Jean Havoc, Vato Falman, Heymans Breda, Kain Fuery, and Riza Hawkeye. Of course, Maes Hughes was there as well, and it appeared that he had a folder of information from last night's murder beside him. The coffee table sitting in between the two couches was covered in folders containing massive amounts of information, and along with the folders were multiple cups of coffee. It made Edward wonder how long these people have been here for.

Edward flopped onto one of the leather couches, rubbing his tired eyes, "Gee, I never knew how much you cared, Mustang."

"To have to share a bed without any activities with Lilia would just be so unfair. He should be tired every morning," Havoc smirked, his unlit cigarette hanging between his lips.

"Would both of you just shut up? I'd rather not talk about my personal life with you two, so can we just get to work?" Edward frowned.

Hughes smiled in Edward's direction, "Are you ready? Some of the things we find out might not be so pretty."

"I'm not a kid anymore, Hughes. I can handle this."

Edward had been telling himself that all morning as he was dressing himself for the day, and throughout the entire walk to HQ. Even then he still couldn't help but feel defenceless and nervous. What they all discover might be pretty nerve wracking, especially if it does turn out that Edward has been being stalked by some mysterious person.

"What have you guys got done so far?" Edward asked, examining a photo in one of the folders.

"Not much, since you only just arrived. The main thing we need right now is your opinion on most of the murders and disappearances we've found in the records room. They all date back from just last week to two years ago, so if you recognize any of these people then we'll know this person just might be obsessed with you," Falman explained.

"We still have no suspects for the murder from last night. Who ever had done it was careful. There's no finger prints, no suspicious objects nearby, nothing," Hughes added, "There are not even any eye witnesses."

"But the murder was done in public, and if you said that body had been lying there for at least a few hours then it would have been killed around the time people would be coming home from work. If so, why didn't anybody see the murder being taken place?" Edward pointed out.

"They could have done the murder somewhere else and then drag the body to the curb," Breda suggested.

Mustang shook his head, "There weren't any drag marks. If the body had been dragged there should have been blood smeared all over the sidewalk, not just in that one area."

"This person is either extremely reckless, or extremely smart," Hawkeye mused.

Everyone in that room was silently hoping that this person was just reckless, and if that truly was the case than at least they would be easier to deal with than someone with a high percent of IQ. If they were extremely smart, then they would be able to evade capture for a long while, and if they evade capture then they can continue with these murders. Not only that, but they would continue to haunt Edward's subconscious.

The morning was long for all the soldiers as they all made their way through the data they had collected. There had been at least fifty people all over the country of Amestris in the last year that had been reported murdered or gone missing. In the last two years, the number was much, much higher, and soon every person Edward looked at was just a blur of tan skin and different colors. His mind was starting to fail him, and he slowly began to regret not trying to get as much sleep as he could the night before.

"Well, that finishes the people from September two years ago," Hughes sighed, taking off his glasses to rub at his eyes.

"At least we're almost done a year," Breda yawned, stretching out his stiff limbs.

Edward stayed silent, pulling the first document from October over to him. He flipped it open to see a woman in her late twenties maybe early thirties with curly dark hair and green eyes. The information on her said that she lived in Eastern Amestris, and worked at the local Inn in her hometown when she suddenly went missing. It was just a lot of stuff along the lines of "disappeared without a trace" and yatta yatta yatta. Edward was just about to smash his face against the table at not being to come up with at least one lead when something caught his eye.

"Brekhart... That town sounds familiar..." Edward mumbled to himself.

"It should. I remember sending you there to check out the remains of a fire that left half the town in ruins. I believe you said it was the cause of some pyromaniac in the town," Mustang responded. When people began to look at him, he shot an obsidian glare in their direction, "Which wasn't me!"

"Wait... I remember! I stayed at this woman's Inn during my investigation. She was one of those women who treated everybody like they were their own child. For example; she called me "Hun" whenever she saw me," Edward said.

"And then it just so happened that she went missing not long after," Mustang filled in.

After that discovery, everyone was a bit more eager as they went through the data. Finally, they had something, and to know that definitely lifted their spirits. It was like that one discovery triggered a domino effect, because soon after they came upon another, and then another, and then another... It kept going. Every month, and almost every murder and missing report Edward had a connection with. It was exciting to know they were making progress, but Edward had a sinking feeling in his gut every time they came upon another person that he had somehow known.

What was odd about each discovery was that each person that Edward knew was all women. They could have been just mere children, or even in their sixties, but each one was female. Each female he had met that had either snapped at him, or complimented him, or so much as accidentally bumped into him had all been reported to be missing or murdered. Even a four year _girl_ he remembered helping find her mother, allowing her to hold his hand as he did, had been found murdered. The exact hand that Edward had held had been cut off, and they still haven't found it after all this time.

"This person is sick," Edward growled, "Why would they even do this to these people? Could it just be a coincidence?"

"It really doesn't appear that way, Ed," Fuery replied.

"Especially since this person wrote out "for Edward" beside the body last night," Hughes added.

"It could be jealously," Havoc piped up, flipping through the different photos of the females, "I'm sure Ed has had at least a few nasty encounters with men, but instead all of these people are women. This person must be fond of Ed for them to kill only women, fond enough to be jealous whenever these women even said "hi" to you."

"But if they're jealous, why haven't they gone after Lilia yet? Ed has been with her for nearly two years," Fuery asked.

"She's always in an overly public place, such as the hospital or crowded streets. When she's not out in public, she's at home with Ed himself," Hughes replied.

"But she isn't always with people. What about the days when she had a day off but I didn't?" Edward stated, "If this person is jealous about women near me, why didn't they just kill her when she was defenceless in our apartment?"

"Maybe they're saving her for best for last? She is the closest woman to you," Breda suggested.

"Yeah, true. But then again what about the Lieutenant? Or even Winry? Why haven't they killed them?" Edward continued.

"Winry has your brother. What if they know that if they somehow hurt Al that you would hate them? And then there's the Lieutenant. When she's at work, she's around all of us, so she's safe. Even on her own, she's safe, seeing as how she's one of the best with guns," Hughes pointed out.

Hawkeye stayed quiet, eyes fixated on her lap and a thoughtful expression on her face. Looking up, her stern voice cut through the men around her like knives, "I do recall having someone following me last month. I only saw their figure, but when I yelled at them to come out, they ran. I must have scared them away."

Nobody doubted that.

"What did the figure look like? Maybe now we can put a gender to this person," Mustang wondered.

"I can't really say, since they were hard to see and it was dark. However, I do remember that they were quite short, and it appeared that they were wearing baggy clothes so I couldn't identify the gender. I couldn't even see the color of their hair," Hawkeye replied. "Maybe you should call Winry after work today Edward, see if she has had any weird experiences going on?"

"I don't think that she will, though," Mustang murmured thoughtfully. "To keep a close eye on Fullmetal, they would have to be in the same city as him. Lieutenant, you live in Central, as does Fullmetal, which explains why that person would be able to come after you. But the last time Fullmetal went to Resembool was before October from two years ago, so this person wouldn't have been able to go after Winry."

"That's right, considering how these connections only just began in October two years ago," Falman agreed.

"Then why is this person just beginning to make themselves known? Wouldn't they have tried two years ago?" Edward asked.

"Maybe they were comfortable just watching from afar, until now. They did begin following you in October, maybe this feels like a two year anniversary to them or something," Fuery shrugged.

"Then why didn't-."

A knock on the office door interrupted Edward, before a soldier allowed himself in with what looked like a mailed package in his hands. The soldier cleared his throat when everyone's landed upon him, and Edward could have sworn he literally began to shake under everyone's expectant gaze.

"Sorry for interrupting, sir, but somebody mailed this to headquarters for Edward Elric," He announced to Mustang and his subordinates. He laid it out on the coffee table, turned and then made his leave.

Right when the click of the door was heard, Edward snatched up the package and began scanning over it for any sort of return address or name. When he came up with none, he gulped and slowly tore open the brown mailing paper that the person had wrapped whatever inside with. His heart was thumping painfully hard and fast, and his fingers shook with each piece that he tore off until what was inside was revealed.

His breath hitched, and now his whole body was trembling instead of just his hands. Tenderly, he picked up the small doll in one hand, examining the horrible stitching of the seams, and the torn piece of cloth tied around its neck. The felt hair was black, and the eyes were sewed to look like two Xs, as if the doll were dead. The cloth that it had tied around its neck was white, and Edward knew that it wasn't just some random piece of cloth. No, it was part of Lilia's uniform. This doll had to be Lilia, and though horribly sewed together, it did bear a resemblance to her. But what really made him fear what this doll symbolized was what it had stabbed into its chest. There were pins of all shapes and sizes obscuring the small doll's chest until you could barely see it.

Laying the doll down onto the coffee table for everyone else to observe, he picked up the next thing that lay in his lap. It was a picture, simple and alone, but it still had the effect to make Edward's heart stop.

His eyes widened as they examined the dark photo, scanning over the sweat slick bodies pressed together. You could see the window frame of his bedroom window just along the two side edges, almost making the photo look like it was in a frame itself. Everything in the room inside was hard to make out from the little light that was being produced, but the tan, naked bodies weren't hard to miss. Black hair seemed to blend into the darkness, while the other's blonde hair stood out. Arms were wound around the blonde, whose metal arm shimmered in the little light there was. His chest against hers, and lips pressed tightly together in a simple act to show affection while, below, they were connecting in the most intimate way possible.

Edward couldn't have thrown that picture down faster, plastering his back as far as it would go into the back of the leather couch. Gasping for the air he had somehow lost, he watched the picture mock him by fluttering slowly down onto the table with wide golden eyes, body trembling excessively.

Landing face down, what should have been a plain white backing was covered with messy red letters, and once more he found his name written in red. This time not in a simple sentence, but a question in which he didn't know how to answer.

**Why isn't that me, Edward?**


	4. Chapter 3

**Ta-da~ It's the third chapter! I hope you're all enjoying this story thus far, and you should remember to review at the end of this chapter if you truly do enjoy it ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters. I only own my OC and the plot.**

Fallen leaves crunched under his feet with each step he took in his walk back to his apartment. With the sky growing darker with each passing moment, and the street lamps just barely flickering on, Edward wondered why he hadn't requested someone to drive him home. Each small noise he heard around him made him jerk his head around in all directions and move his hands into a clapping position. In the end, it would just be the wind making a tree dance, or a stray cat inside an alley way. All he knew, though, was that he couldn't have been more terrified being alone and knowing that some psychotic person was watching him.

Do you know how that even felt? To know that everything you do in your daily life is just something for another person to watch? It was horrible, tormenting Edward every time the thought occurred to him. It made him think about everything he had done in the last two years, and in the end all he would do is feel even more disturbed. This person had seen some revealing activities, as he had learned earlier when he had received that picture of Lilia and him having sex. He nearly wanted to smack himself for his own stupidity. He never even considered the possibility of this person finding some way to hit his window, wait until he opened the curtains, and then take the picture. He neglected the fact that they could have been just outside, waiting for that opportunity, but instead he got wrapped up in that "distraction". It was humiliating, disturbing, the list went on.

The only good thing that had come out of receiving that picture and doll was that they were able to make another discovery. This person knew where Edward lived, which shouldn't be all too surprising if this person had been stalking him for nearly two years. To go along with that, they discovered that the person must have somehow been able to either get into his apartment or be near Lilia to be able to get a scrap of her uniform. They could have framed as a patient for all he knew, just to get that precious piece of cloth for that damn voodoo doll. Thank God that voodoo didn't exist, or else Lilia would be dead on the ground with multiple holes in her abdomen. Edward was surprised that that doll was even still "alive".

Mustang had suggested that Lilia and Edward go under protective custody, or at least have a body guard, but he refused. To let this person know that they were paranoid over this would be like feeding gasoline to a fire. It would fuel that feeling of dominance they must be feeling right now, that feeling of superiority to see the people it wanted to scare fear them. That would be the last thing they needed. All they would need is enough feeling of confidence to just start killing _everyone_ in Edward's life, not just women.

True, that person could probably see him at that very moment, speed walking to his apartment, but who knew exactly what that psychotic bastard was actually thinking? They could just be thinking that Edward was cold for all he knew, and he really hoped that was the case. He didn't need them to suspect anything just yet, now did he?

When his apartment building finally came into view, Edward picked up his pace to a jog. He needed to get home, needed to see if Lilia was alright. If she wasn't, he wouldn't know what he would do. She was a huge part of his life now, and if anything happened to her because of this jerk face following him, he would definitely feel like it was his fault. It would be his fault though. He was the one that somehow attracted this person in the first place, and that attraction soon led to a deadly obsession that Lilia could be the next victim to.

Chanting plea's repeatedly in his mind, Edward jumped up two stairs at a time as he hurried to get to the second floor. Turning and moving down each corner and hall quickly, he finally spotted his door, whipping the keys out of his pocket before he was even within a foot of it. Shoving the key into the lock violently, and turning it until it should've broke, Edward flung the door open only to find every single light in the apartment turned off.

That was odd. Lilia always turned on almost every light once she got home, having been afraid of the dark throughout most of her childhood and young teen years. She refused to say that she still was, but Edward knew otherwise. Especially with this new situation, he would have expected to see every single light turned on.

Cautiously, he entered the apartment, reaching out with his left hand to turn on the main area's light. Relief filled him when the light flashed on to reveal nothing but his usual living room. After checking all the other rooms, as well as all the closets and double checking that everything was in fact locked, he finally allowed himself to release a sigh of relief.

But where was Lilia? Could something have happened to her on her way home from work? She did usually walk home alone, and that would be the perfect chance for this person to make their move. If that had been the case, though, wouldn't the military have already received a call notifying somebody that had been found murdered? What if this person intended to torture her, just because she had been in a relationship with Edward? They did chop off the hand of a child, just because he held it. Maybe they see torturing her as a great punishment for something that only this person would perceive as "wrong".

The little relief Edward had once felt was washed away now, and without a second thought he marched toward the phone. Picking it off its cradle, he dialled the hospital's number, and then attempted to wait patiently as it rang. His insides were curling with anxious fear, and random pleas continued to whirl around his mind over and over, like a broken record. Al, Winry, Lilia, even Mustang and his crew, if anything happened to them he would never be able to forgive himself.

"Hello, Central Main Hospital, how may I help you?" A voice finally answered, shaking Edward out of his thoughts. The person's voice was female and bored sounding, but somehow it still managed to have a playful tinge to it.

"Uh-yes, is Lilia Julian still on shift?" He asked hurriedly. He wouldn't deny it if somebody said he sounded desperate.

There was silence when there was a sudden clack; a sound that oddly resembled that of heals hitting the floor. "Is that you, Edward?" The woman wondered, voice suddenly not sounding so bored anymore. Without the monotone drag to it, he managed to recognize it.

"Yeah, it's me Rachel. Can you please tell me if Lilia is still there?"

Rachel was Lilia's co-worker, and pretty close friend. There was no doubt that Lilia had told Rachel at least some of what had been going on the past two days, since the two of them shared everything together. If she hadn't, well then, he would honestly be surprised.

"Yeah, she's still here. She tried to phone you earlier to tell you that she had been given an extra shift, but you weren't back yet," Rachel replied, and Edward let out a loud sigh of relief. "What's with you? You sound on-edge."

"You don't know the half of it. Is she nearby right now? I need to talk to her," Edward wondered. It wasn't so much that he needed to talk to her as much as he wanted to talk to her.

"Oh yeah, sure. Hang on one second." There was a clack as the phone was placed face down on some type of hard surface, and then the faint sound of her heals tapping away.

Edward rubbed his forehead, mentally thanking whatever entity out there that allowed Lilia this second shift. Maybe she offered herself in the first place, trying to get away from the fear that lay in wait at home. Who knew exactly? All Edward was thankful about was that she was safe and that she didn't have to deal with it again tonight.

The sound of the phone being lifted dragged Edward's attention back, and he nearly yelled out in joy when he heard Lilia's voice answer the phone, "Hello?"

"Lilia, it's me."

"Edward? Oh thank God you're okay. I tried phoning, and when you didn't answer I got nervous..."

"Why didn't you call the office?"

"I wasn't going to resort to that unless it was extremely late and you still weren't home. I know how much Riza enjoys outside calls coming in."

"I'm sure she would understand, especially right now. Listen Lilia, we found out some disturbing things today."

"What kind of things? Come on, be more specific here."

"Well, we found out that someone has been following me for at least two years. Not only that, but whatever women that acts too friendly towards me, or snaps at me, gets murdered or goes missing."

"My God..."

"That's not the creepiest part. We got a package today without a name or return address and the things inside just made our suspicions true."

There was a moment's hesitation. "What was inside the package?"

"A doll designed to look like you, with multiple needles sticking out of its chest."

"Like...a voodoo doll?"

Edward could hear how hard she was trying to sound strong. No matter how hard she tried, the wavering in her voice still made itself evident, and he could hear her gulp every once in a while. He hated telling her this, and he was honestly wondering what had overtaken him to tell her in the first place. He knew he trusted her, but did she really deserve to know this, especially right now?

Yes, she needed to know. She needed to know about what danger may be coming her way. She needed to know about how dangerous this person might be.

"Yeah. Not only that, but there was a picture too. It was of us, Lilia, last night. In the midst of our...activities, this person took a picture. On the back it said "why isn't that me, Edward?""

By now, Lilia was breathing heavily, each exhale shuddering, just like how her body was probably doing the same thing. She swallowed heavily, and Edward was curious as to how hard she was really trying to act brave.

"Do...Do you have any idea who this might be?" Lilia finally spoke up.

"None. We were planning on trying to figure that out tomorrow," Edward replied.

"What about tonight? Will you be okay? Do you want me to ask Rachel to cover so you don't have to be alone?"

"No!" Edward never meant for it to come out as loud as it did, but it had. Silence overtook both sides of the call before Edward sighed, "No. I don't want you here when I know that this is really serious. You deserve to be with those people, around people that you trust."

"I trust _you_, Edward."

"I know. I just...I need to know you're safe, even if it's just for tonight. So stay there. I'll call Havoc to pick you up when your shift is over, alright?"

"...Fine. But call me if you start to really freak out, okay? I don't want you paranoid and alone. That would just do horrible things to your mind."

"Okay. Remember, if you don't see Havoc outside at..."

"Six am."

"At six am, then don't leave. Call me, and I'll find another way to get you home, okay?"

"Okay. I hope you'll be okay tonight, Ed."

"I'll be fine. I'll talk to you later."

"Oh, and Ed?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you..."

"I love you, too."

Hanging up that phone was the hardest thing to do. He wanted to tell her so badly how he wanted her here, to comfort him, to talk with him, but he didn't. It was selfish of him to pull her into harm's way for his own needs and wants. This way, he knew she was safe and thankful for it too.

Edward made a few calls after that, more namely the one to Havoc. The Lieutenant agreed quite quickly, telling Edward that he wouldn't let anything happen to Lilia on her way to the apartment. He would even walk her to the door, swearing that he would keep her safe no matter what. Edward couldn't have thanked him more, maybe even startled the Lieutenant at how much those words left his lips.

After that, he made a phone call to Resembool. He needed to talk to his brother; he needed his helpful advice, badly. Edward explained the whole situation to Alphonse, and the first thing the younger brother did was offer to come up to Central. Edward, obviously, refused, not wanting to drag Al into it too. So, instead, the two just talked. It wasn't anything particular, just about anything they could think of, and they probably spent nearly two hours on the phone before Alphonse said he had to go. That call would be the second hardest to hang up on that night.

Once all the phone calls were completed, Edward made his way down to his bedroom sluggishly. Everything about the day had just left him completely drained, though actually sleeping was another question. None the less, he tugged off the shirt he wore under the military jacket he had shed long ago, and kicked off the blue slacks nearly all officers had to wear. With his clothes shed, Edward didn't hesitate to fall onto his side of the bed, face pressed into the pillow. He remained like that for a while before he had to shift so that he wouldn't die of suffocation. Now comfortable and extremely tired, Edward couldn't fight off the feeling of unconscious bliss and allowed himself to fall into oblivion.

* * *

Edward jerked awake from his light sleep when he heard the phone down the hall beginning to ring. The young man groaned, sitting up and whilst rubbing one tired eye he began to exit his bedroom. In his sleepy state, he didn't put much thought into who was calling him. His first suspicion had been Lilia, thinking that she was calling to say that she just couldn't concentrate on work and was planning on coming home. Or maybe it was Mustang, calling to say that they had found something else out about this mysterious stalker. It could even be Alphonse again, planning to talk longer.

Nothing could have prepared him for the phone call he received.

"Hello?" Edward answered, biting back a yawn. Turning, he peered at the ticking clock hanging on the wall, able to see it from forgetting to turn off the apartment's lights earlier. The clock read 12:42 am.

The other end of the phone line remained silent, but Edward could still hear someone breathing on the other end of the line. His mind suddenly became alert, listening to the soft breathing on the other end. It could be just some dumb kids trying to play a joke. Even if that may be the case, Edward knew better than to assume. If he had a stalker, wouldn't they want to phone in to just hear him speak to them? That seemed quite possible, especially after discovering that this person was more than a bit obsessed with him.

"Who is this?" Edward demanded, eyes narrowing.

More silence. Edward gritted his teeth, about to nearly shout the demand into the phone when the voice suddenly spoke up. It was quiet, speaking in a near whisper like the person didn't want to be heard. It wasn't rough, but quite smooth, and Edward now knew the gender of this mysterious person. It almost sounded like they had a bit of an accent, but Edward wasn't sure if it was a trick of the ear or actually there.

"Why?" They asked.

"That's what I should be asking," Edward retorted icily, "Why are you following me?"

They ignored his question. "That woman is becoming a nuisance. She's coming between us Edward."

"What "us"? I don't even know who you are!"

"Don't lie. How could you ever forget?"

"Sorry to break it to you, but I have, or maybe this thing is all just something you mad e up in your mind. You're sick, and you need help."

"That woman is sick for believing that you actually love her back. Who would love someone that leaves their partner all alone at night?"

Edward fell silent then, furrowing his brow. This person somehow knew that Lilia wasn't home. How, Edward didn't know. They could have just somehow seen that it was only Edward to return to the apartment that night. Maybe they had somehow listened in on to what Edward and Lilia were saying throughout their conversation, since tapping phone lines isn't an impossible task if you know how.

"See, your silence proves I'm right."

"It proves nothing. Why don't you just leave us alone?"

""Us"? Oh no, this is all about you, Edward. That woman is merely a block in my path. It won't be long before I overcome this nuisance."

"Like Hell you will!"

"She doesn't love you like I love you."

"You're wrong."

Ignoring him, the person chuckled, a sound that made a shiver run down Edward's spine. He could just see the maniacal, sadistic grin that they must have spread across their face.

"I'll be seeing you, Edward."

And then they were gone, leaving only the dial tone to ring in Edward's ears. Edward growled, trying to overcome the hole in his gut with anger, and slammed down the phone. That person's last words weren't just a good-bye, it was a promise. They were getting braver; they were getting ready for something. Edward just had to figure out what, and stop it before it happened. If he didn't, some serious consequences could happen.

Running a hand through his hair in frustration, Edward began heading back toward the bedroom. He decided to leave the lights in the apartment on just in case. Who knew what could happen, especially if Edward fell back asleep. He had no idea where this person was, and if they were nearby, it might be a good idea to leave the lights on. It would make it seem that Edward was still awake, and then maybe they won't want to make an outward appearance yet.

Edward shut the door behind him with his foot, planning on actually staying up longer in case something did happen. He could read or something to pass the time, and just as he was going to get comfortable and do just that something occurred to him.

It may have been sleep deprivement, or something, but he couldn't help but seriously consider it. He stood there, staring at his bed, before falling to his knees beside it and lifting his hands. He felt practically like an idiot doing this, doing something he never believed. Somehow, he couldn't seem to make himself care as much as he should have.

Edward Elric, for the first and the last time in his life, prayed.

Ending with, "And if you don't listen to me you bastard, I'll be pissed. Amen."

* * *

He didn't know what time it was, he just knew that it was late, or more like extremely early. His whole body was numb with exhaustion, and his body was just not listening to what his brain had to say. His eyelids felt like cinderblocks, refusing to open and leaving him within darkness. Had he really fallen asleep? He felt the book he had been reading laying flat open on his chest, and sleep was still around the edges of his subconscious, so yes, he had fallen asleep again.

Edward moaned, even his own arm didn't want to lift to rub the sleep from his eyes. Nothing wanted to move, leaving him there, motionless, and laying on his back. Edward was almost afraid from being this paralyzed, but figured that he was just extremely tired. He had been using quite the energy in all aspects of his living form, and the night before he didn't get as much sleep as he probably should have. That, in the end, led to other consequences as well.

Movement off to the side suddenly caught his attention. Attempting to look off to the side was a failure, resulting in him only rolling his head to the side. Cursing in his mind, Edward could only lay and listen to the shuffles echoing in his ears. Everything was far more precise now that his eyes didn't wish to open, leaving his hearing more acute. Each sound seemed familiar, like the sound of something shedding some sort of clothing. There were also the soft padding of footsteps, walking back and forth all around the room. Clinks and soft thumps were heard, then the opening and closing of a door from the general area where the closet was. It almost sounded like somebody was going through his things. Could it have been Lilia? Was she home? What time was it?

Edward's lips parted, fighting hard to find his voice, but only the sound of his breathing left those lips. He continued listening to the frustrating sounds around him, trying harder each time for his voice to come out. Each time resulted in failure, and with each failure, another sound met his ears. It made him desperate, nearly fearful; to know that somebody was there but his own damn body wouldn't let him figure out whom. This wasn't any normal sleep-like paralysis, something was going on.

The footsteps were getting closer. They weren't just walking around his bed to get to other things anymore, now they were walking directly to his side of the bed. He tried, and tried, and tried, but still no words left his lips and no movement could be made. What was wrong with him! Why wouldn't his damn arms move, why wouldn't sound leave his throat? Was it so hard on him? It shouldn't be! He begged in his mind, pleading his own limbs for them to move, even just an inch. At least then he would know that he was making progress.

He felt the skin of his eyelids brush against something as they twitched in another attempt to open. It was then that he forgot about the steadily growing louder footsteps, and instead concentrated on the things he was feeling. There, it happened again, his eyes brushed against something. It felt like fabric, soft but in a coarse sort of way. It wasn't just over his eyes, either. It was draped across his eyes, falling over his temple, pulled behind his ears and tied in a knot just to the side of the back of his head. Not only that, but he realized something else.

His eyes were open.

Before he could fret over his new discovery, he suddenly felt the book that lay on his chest being removed. He didn't care what happened to it; all he wished was that it was still on his chest so that the hand that was now placed in the same spot wouldn't be there. The five fingers were spread across his skin just under his collar bone, sending chills and fear throughout him. He couldn't do a thing as the hand moved slowly down his bare upper body, feeling. He wanted to scream, to kick and thrash at this person. All that happened was a barely audible whisper finally leaving his already parted lips.

"Li-...lia...?"

Pause.

The person stopped their movement, lifting their hand off of his chest. In the next moment it had come in contact with his cheek, making a loud slapping sound to echo around the room. He couldn't yelp out at the pain it had caused, only allow his head to jerk to the side violently and then just lay there. It was as if he was a rag doll, a toy in this person's hands to please them. It was disgusting.

Someone - who Edward was aware wasn't Lilia – kissed the now bruising cheek, appearing to apologize for the damage they caused. Their hands found his chest again, massaging it in an attempt to make him feel better. Legs straddled his hips, and lips on his neck, but he only wanted to gag. The actions this person was performing for his pleasure was doing the opposite, making him disgusted and repulsed at the very thought of what they would try to do. Each touch felt like someone was burning him. He wanted to skitter away as fast as possible away from the torture it was causing, and hope that whatever wounds were there would heal.

He wanted to move so he could fight back. To throw this person off and transmute his arm into a blade so he would be prepared for anything. To do anything that would get this person, this sick, demented stalker away from him. He wanted to talk so that he could call for some sort of help. Hope that the neighbours would hear his cries and call the military. He wanted to shout, to plea, to _cry_ for this person to get away. Most of all, he wanted to see. He wanted to identify this person, and take them down. Make it so they would never torture him like this again. Stop them from anything else they might have planned.

He just wanted this all to stop.

Lower and lower the hands went, and with each inch his throat tightened and his heart thumped faster. It wasn't from pleasure, oh no. It was from the dread, the horrorific realization that this person on top of him would go that far. Rape wasn't an unknown word in Edward's brain, but it was one he never thought that he would apply to himself or a situation he was in. To hear about it is different than actually experiencing it. The horror, the anxious dread filling and seeping through his entire being was suffocating. What made it even worse was to know that he really was vulnerable, unable to do anything about it. He couldn't fight back, he couldn't even scream, and that information just made his mind even more fogged with horrible pleas and begging.

_Please, just make it stop! Please! End this please!_


	5. Chapter 4

**The 2****nd**** to last chapter. Things are starting to get rough for Edward and Lilia. How are they going to handle what's going on now? **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters. I only own my OC and the plot.**

Lilia couldn't think about anything else throughout the rest of her shift. All she wanted to do was run home and talk with Edward, maybe even cry. She wanted to comfort him most of all, knowing that what he was going through must be hard. He worked each day with confidence, knowing that he had come so far and made it out in the end. To have this happening to him now is probably like a hard slap to the face.

When Havoc came to pick her up, she couldn't have gotten into it faster, nor could she have gotten out of it any faster. Havoc was at a much slower pace, insisting on letting him walk her up to the apartment just in case. She nearly declined, but then recalled when Edward told her about the voodoo doll, and the female murders. With that thought in mind, she agreed, leading Havoc up the stairs and towards their apartment. She just couldn't have herself killed while trying to get to the one person who would be her one and true protection, right? It's like a childish game of hide and seek home-free, except in a much more deadly version.

Each footstep was loud, ringing in Lilia's eardrums painfully. Even the sound of the key in the lock was deafening. The silence inside the apartment was trophy worthy, though, hitting her right when she opened the door and suffocating her until she nearly wanted to throw-up. All the lights were off, being the second most suspicious out of everything.

Lilia hesitantly stepped into the apartment, wrapping her arms around herself, and peering back at Havoc to see if he was still there. He was. Turning her head forward, she drew in an uneven breath, "E-Ed? Are you home?"

There. There was a sound, and from what she could tell it was coming from down the hall. After that, it was only silence.

Havoc must have read her mind, or at least seen the distress, because he drew the gun from his holster and moved ahead of Lilia. With gun in hand, he motioned for Lilia to stay, but not even the most threatening of situations would make her stay behind. Edward was in trouble, she could feel it. She may not be able to do anything in the end, but she just needed to be there for him. She has always been there for him, ever since the first time she helped to heal his wounds.

They moved steadily down the hallway, Havoc in front and Lilia behind. The closer they got the more noise they heard. Clacks or something along the line of that was resounding around the bedroom, breaking through the silence like the knife. If it was Edward, they didn't know.

The sounds were unnerving, increasing the paces of their hearts until it nearly felt like it was just going to burst from their very chests. Havoc managed in keeping his breath steady, something that Lilia failed at. Large and quick puffs of air entered and exited her lungs in a stage of nearly hyperventilating. Palms were sweaty with anticipated sweat, and Lilia's throat felt incredibly tight. The tightness made her almost unable to breath, unable to talk, and even unable to swallow. Each step she took made her feel like her legs were about to give out, and her arms were so spastic with shaking that whoever even got within an inch of her she was pretty sure she was going to give them whiplash.

The door was right in front of them now. All Havoc had to do was open it and then they could see what was really happening. See if Edward was safe or not. See if these noises were just a figment of their imagination. See and finally decide on what emotion they should be feeling.

What they thought could have been the worst was.

Edward was lying half naked on the bed, blindfolded, and probably traumatised. Why he wasn't moving made Lilia fearful. Her heart gave a painful thump and what was supposed to be his name came out in a squeak past her lips. She was just about to run to him when she heard the deafening shot of Havoc's very own gun, a star like flash emitting from the end of the barrel. The figure that she barely caught a glimpse of in the window then disappeared, falling out of their sights and toward the forsaken ground beneath.

Havoc ran toward the window to check if the person had met their fate down below. Lilia, on the other hand, ran toward Edward's side to see if he had met his fate from the person whom she wished did truly die.

She could see the rhythm of his chest moving up and down with his uneven breaths, and that in itself was a relief to see. It wasn't enough to calm her nerves and racing heart, though, since Edward still had not moved an inch in the time that Lilia had set eyes on him. He just lay there, unmoving, on his back and his arms to his sides. His head was slightly tilted, and even with the dim light she could see a dark spot forming on his cheek.

Lilia shook his shoulder, softly calling out to him. There was nothing, no reaction what-so-ever.

In the midst of attempting to calm her breathing, she reached out to remove the black cloth tied over his eyes, keeping him from seeing. Her eyes stung with oncoming tears, and her teeth bit hard down onto her bottom lip to keep herself from whimpering. With her shaking fingers, it was hard to untie the knot near the back of his head, let alone feel the floor beneath her feet. Everything to her felt numb, and that made it difficult to feel where the cloth overlapped. All she could hear were her desperate thoughts and the blood rushing in her ears. Thoughts and possible future events played through her mind, things like what would happen if he was paralyzed, or so wounded that she had to phone Alphonse. What would she say to him?

Lilia's breath caught in her throat when the cloth finally fell from his eyes. Gold stared back at her, eyes wide and pupils dilated in absolute terror. The golden orbs scanned over her face for a moment, which now had tears spilling out of her eyes and cascading down her cheeks. Swallowing back another sob, she forced a reassuring smile onto her face and stroked the young man's bangs out of his face. She saw his lips attempting to move, trying hard to form some sort of word, but all that happened was a small tremble. His eyelids slowly, slower than usual, closed more until how they would normally be. The pupils, however, remained dilated, and in the corner of his eyes Lilia could see tears gathering.

"Is he okay?" Havoc asked, making Lilia jump and shake out of her heart-wrenching thoughts. She hadn't noticed that he moved beside her just a few minutes ago.

Looking up at the Lieutenant, she nodded, "He'll be fine, he's only drugged. Mentally, though..." She shook her head quickly, talking over a whimper by asking, "W-What happened to...?"

She didn't need to finish her sentence for Havoc to understand what she was asking. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he frowned down at her, "I didn't see them. They should have landed just under the window, or at least a few inches away, but they weren't there. I'm sorry."

"I-It's fine. Maybe you should go phone M-Mustang..." She managed to choke out. There was no denying that her stomach just felt like it had dropped at Havoc's words, her heart stopping momentarily in shock and dread. They had gone to this extent already; there was no way to guess what they would do next.

Havoc hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly and exiting the room. Lilia turned back to Edward then, more tears spilling out of her eyes as a whimper finally breaks loose. Blinking repeatedly to try and clear her vision from the water blurring her sight, she stroked his bruising cheek gently.

"You have such rotten luck, you know that?" She wryly smiled, "Everything is just turning out to be a huge mess. It's like trouble follows you everywhere you go."

Lilia almost wanted to cry even harder at the irony of her own words. Trouble was following him everywhere he went; it has been following him for the last two years, watching everything that he did.

* * *

When Mustang had arrived on the scene along with Hughes, Hawkeye and the others, ready for anything, they were surprised to see Havoc with pained eyes and a sorrowful expression. All they had heard over the phone was that Edward had an encounter with the mysterious stalker, and that Havoc believed that the others should come check it out. Havoc figured there must have been clues around somewhere, especially where that person was supposed to be lying either wounded or dead.

Havoc led them down toward Edward's bedroom, where they could hear silent crying steadily getting louder. Inside they met a sight that had even shocked Hawkeye.

To see Edward Elric practically naked and unmoving on his own bed with silent tears sliding down his cheeks was a sight none had ever thought that they would see. Lilia was beside the bed, on her knees and crying into the sheets, all the while clutching Edward's hand though he was unable to hold it back. Edward's cheek was bruised and slightly swollen, with pupils dilated and eyelids half lidded. With his mouth slightly agape, it almost looked like the young man was dead, if it weren't for the steady rise and fall of his chest.

Mustang had pulled everyone back out of the room, demanding a better explanation from Havoc. He explained all that he could, starting with how Lilia and him came up to the apartment to see the lights turned off, right up until he found out that Edward was drugged and unable to move, at least for a few hours.

Lilia eventually came out to great them as well, wiping her eyes with her sweater's sleeve and still clad in her nurses uniform. Once asked about the situation, fresh tears fell from her already red eyes, but she managed to answer in the end. With her voice wavering, she explained to them that Edward was drugged from what she could see, and that he should be able to move again in probably an hour or maybe longer. He had fallen asleep recently, and that somebody should be with him at all times to make sure that he was alright. She suggested herself, and although Mustang was against it, Hughes let her be. Instead, the others took to examining the apartment for anything strange, and two others also investigated the ground beneath Edward's window. Inside, they really didn't find much or more like anything at all. Outside, however, Havoc and Breda found blood drops that soon became much easier to see in the rising sun.

Havoc had managed to hit the person, the only question is if he had hit them somewhere vital, or just skimmed them. From the amount of blood, Breda figured he had only managed to skim them.

Just as Lilia had figured, Edward ended up being able to move a few hours later. They were all in the living room, talking things over with Lilia on what they had found, when the young blonde suddenly came trudging out of the room, now dressed in a pair of black slacks and a t-shirt. A bandage was placed over the bruise on Edward's cheek, courtesy of Lilia in her attempt at trying to make it heal faster. Everything seemed normal enough about him, all except for how dark his eyes looked. It was like the man feared just stepping out of his room now.

Although reluctantly, they sat Edward down and stood or sat around him, interrogating him in the nicest yet firmest way they knew how. He almost appeared aggravated about how they were treating him, but he never spoke his disagreement. Secretly, he must have been thankful for their softer words then just outright demanding the whole explanation. Throughout the whole thing, Lilia sat beside him, holding his hand in support with him able to hold it back this time. Both of them looked sickly pale, with dark circles under both of their eyes, and their fingers shaking with the aftershock. They tried not to, knowing that Edward hated it, but each of them pitied the couple, knowing that they both must have been emotionally and mentally damaged by this situation, Edward more so than Lilia.

"Look, I don't know much. All I know is that this person drugged me in my sleep, and then tried to...rape me. I want them found."

His reply was simple enough, but still struck everyone in the living room. They all wanted this person found, so that this could all stop. Edward wouldn't be able to take much more; they could see that, no matter how strong the thick-headed midget tried to act. This was way out of his league, and he needed all the help that he could get.

Edward then told them about the phone call that he received before hand, looking down cast and regretful for not taking action just after this person had phoned him. Maybe then he wouldn't be this scarred. He could have gotten the protection he needed, and then maybe this person would be caught and out of his life.

Mustang and the rest left not long after, though they kept Havoc standing outside their door just in case the person decided to come for another visit. Edward locked the door after they exited, turning to look at Lilia. Immediately, the woman appeared in front of him, throwing her arms around his neck with her shoulders shaking as she tried not to burst into tears once more. Edward almost found himself wanting to throw her off and skitter into a corner, his skin crawling at the memory of being touched intimately but that psychopath. Instead, he forced his mind to calm, and wrapped his trembling arms around her small form, burying his face into her neck. She smelt of sickness and anaesthetics, but Edward couldn't have cared less. As long as it was Lilia, and she was safe, that was all that mattered.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lilia asked, with her voice slightly muffled from being buried into his chest.

Avoiding the question, Edward tightened his grip and murmured, "Listen, Lilia... I want you to go stay with your mother for a while."

There was a pregnant silence, until Lilia pulled away to look up into Edward's face with furrowed brows, "What? Why?"

"I don't want you to get hurt-"

"Don't use that bullshit on me! The last time you wanted me safe, you ended up being in trouble!"

Edward flinched at her tone, recalling back to their phone call the night before. Still, Edward wanted her as far away from Central as possible, wanted her to be far away from the madness that was going on around them. Her mother lived out towards the East, near Resembool in a village that actually wasn't much larger than Resembool. Her mother moved there just after Lilia's father died, trying to get away from the "sickening air of the city" as she said, and thus moved out to a rural part of the country. As far they both knew, she was happy there, and it was definitely safer.

"Lilia, I don't want you to get involved in this anymore," Edward stated, voice strained under the disapproving sapphire gaze.

"If I leave, then something else might happen to you!"

"You don't know how dangerous this person might be! If you stay here, there's a chance that you'll die!" Edward blurted out, exclaiming it while inside his brain was warning him. Lilia looked away, bangs hanging over her face, still stubbornly trying to fight the truth.

"I don't want to leave you here by yourself..."

"But I'm not alone."

"Ed-"

"Lilia," Edward stated firmly, and he spotted her shoulders flinching a bit as he said it, "I swear to God if you aren't out of this apartment by tomorrow, I'll have Havoc drag you down to the train station himself. There's nothing you can do."

"Why...?"

"It'll be safer for you. The farther away you are from me, the safer you'll get. This person _despises_ you. It won't be long before they come after you."

"I can't just leave you...!"

Lilia's hands came up to her face, clear liquid squeezing through the cracks in her fingers and sliding down the back of her hand. Edward reached out to touch her shoulder, and then hesitated, before just dropping his hand.

Softly, he spoke up once more, "It'll only be for a little while, I promise."

* * *

Edward hadn't slept at all, even after he knew that Havoc was standing outside his door. Thoughts continued to plague him with whatever he did, and all he could end up doing was sitting on the couch and just staring off into space like the dead person he felt like he was. Lilia stayed up with him for as long as she could, studying her medicine books beside him until she eventually fell asleep with her head rested on his shoulder. Again, the mere touch made his skin crawl, even though he should be feeling comfortable with her. She was one of the only good things that were with him throughout all this, and yet he still told her that she had to leave. He couldn't even comfort her like he should have when she was standing there, crying about what was coming out of their lives together. One hug took practically all his effort, and even that effort felt wasted after he realized that he felt no comfort coming from it.

Lilia's good-bye wasn't much different either. With a small bag packed with things she needed, she faced Edward and, noticing his distance, just smiled sadly and waved. Then she was gone, looking out the back window of the military issued vehicle as Hawkeye drove her toward the train station. Havoc led Edward in the opposite direction, driving him toward Headquarters so that the two could start on some more of the investigation. Meanwhile, Fuery was at the hospital to explain the situation in as much vague detail as possible, telling Lilia's co-workers that she wouldn't be in to work for a while because of a serious situation. Edward almost regretted not telling even Rachel the truth, knowing that Lilia and she were extremely close.

The office was quiet when Edward had entered, everyone's eyes (minus Hawkeye and Fuery) landed on him and watched his every move as he went over and sat on one of the couches. At first, they only questioned him on how he was feeling, and if he was still feeling up to helping on the investigation. No matter how much Edward just wanted to crawl under a rock and hide until this was all over, he nodded his head, and brought one of the folders toward himself. All he wanted was to find this person, and take them down once and for all.

Eventually, everyone in the office caught onto his drift and shut up about the situation that had happened just yesterday. True, Edward wasn't completely healed from it, they all knew that. He was constantly fidgeting and biting his lip, eyes looking up to look around the room and out the window to just be sure before going back to working. Mustang felt bad for even allowing the kid into the office, and Hughes felt badly for letting him even near the building. However, they needed him. He was the only one that could give them the best answers, and his opinions mattered a lot.

They did ask Edward questions about yesterday, but they were small and very rare. Whenever they came up, Edward would stay silent for a while, before finally opening his mouth and replying. Recalling the incident made his insides twist horribly, and he desperately wanted to forget it. No matter how he tried to distract himself from it, though, it always found another way to worm its way into his brain.

The work was hard to concentrate on, Edward found, since every moment of looking through those pictures of dead women and trying to think up the identity of this psychopath made him want to just hide in a corner. The pictures were gruesome most of the time, and there was very few that weren't mangled in some twisted way. Females from the ages of four to seventy, dead, all because the connected to Edward in some way. You could tell there was anger behind the killings, judging from the wounds that were found among the body. There was even one that was stabbed so much that the intestines had fallen out and were splayed across the cement ground in which they laid on. It was horrible.

Finding the identity of the person was even harder. Edward had met multiple people throughout his travels of Amestris, and trying to remember each and every one of them was hard. Each person was just a blur in the past, like a faded photograph found in the attic. You'd need a name on the back of the picture to be able to identify them, but just recalling a person's face was hard let alone remembering a name.

Files upon files were stacked up among the coffee table, each person picked out especially in hopes that Edward had known them somehow. They were chosen by looking back upon Edward's travels and the specific places that he had gone. If he had gone to East City, they would pick out every file that they had on every person living there. If he had gone to New Optain, then they would find every name and photo of its residences. There were so many people littered about the office that Edward couldn't tell any of them apart anymore.

He came so close to wanting to give up, but even then he just couldn't find the will to just throw down these files and go home. The thoughts of all the people that had died because of him would haunt him. To know that this person was still out there would torment him for the rest of his days, unless he knows for sure that they are either dead or in the most protected cell that could make the military give them. Unless he's right there, watching as this person is cuffed or bleeding excessively from some sort of wound, then he won't be satisfied.

* * *

Lilia blew out a loud breath, closing the door behind her to lock out the cold October air behind her. She rubbed her hands together in a fruitless attempt to stay warm with her sapphire eyes looking around the apartment she had only recently left. Yes, Riza had dropped her off at the train station, expecting the younger woman to load onto the first train that pulled into the station. Hawkeye must have believed that she would have been safe on her own (or that Lilia's begging to leave finally pestered her enough to do so) because the Lieutenant left not long after dropping her off. There were many groups of people around, so Lilia figured she would have been safe if that person decided to show up. She _would have _been safe if she hadn't of forgotten her wallet at home in her rush out of the awkward tension growing between Edward and her.

Lilia dropped her bag to the floor, kicking off her shoes until she got back to the door. Her thoughts trailed back to last night, remembering everything from the gunshot to the moment she had gotten a complete look at Edward's condition. Those eyes still haunted her, that horror stricken expression that just struck her so hard. It was like a punch to the face by an auto-mail fist, a blow that's so completely unfair and horrible to experience that you just want to forget it.

Sighing, she ran a pale hand through her dark hair, stopping at her bedroom entrance to open the door. She stopped suddenly, freezing in place as she heard the sound of something moving inside. That was odd. Edward had left just after she had been given a ride to the train station, meaning that nobody should be home. However, there was no mistaking it; there was movement inside their bedroom.

Gulping, Lilia gripped the doorknob tightly and slowly opened the door a bit. She peered into the bedroom as much as she could, heart stopping in chilling fear when her eyes spotted a figure inside. Her eyes widened, examining the back of this person standing in front of their bed. The person looked as if they were wearing one of Edward's button-up shirts, which was much larger on their slightly smaller frame. Their bare legs were in plain sight, and their hands pulled the collar of the shirt up closer to their face so they could breathe in the scent that was most likely Edward's very own. What must have been their very own clothes sat in a pile nearby, dark and baggy, and looked like they had a dark stain on a part of the shirt.

Lilia covered her mouth to keep from gasping out loud, heart thumping in a fearful realization. This must have been the person that had been stalking Edward; this was the person that caused him to go through that horrible experience the night before.

Quietly, Lilia began to shut the door. Stopping just before the door made the click to signify that it was closed, she left it be and began to tip-toe down the hall. She got to the phone, and after quickly placing it to her ear, she dialled the number to HQ. She kept a wary eye on the entrance to the bedroom, and listened to not only the repetitive ringing but to the sounds coming from beyond the white door. There weren't many, so she thought that they hadn't moved from their spot, when her attention got pulled back to her call.

Unbeknownst to her, she wasn't unheard.

* * *

Edward found himself laying on one of the couches in his own office after a few hours of research, having been forced by Hughes to go take a break. They were all worried about him, Edward had figured, and after much thinking he couldn't come up with anything that could make them not be. Through the last few days, he had been facing a form of torture that he never once thought he would face. He had wished for his life to be more interesting, and this was what he got? It was practically the complete opposite of what he wanted.

Groaning, he rolled onto his side. His eyelids were heavy and just threatening to fall, but still he couldn't find it in himself to doze off. Even with military members all around HQ, he didn't feel safe. He probably never would be again; he would head to bed to only find himself wrought with terror about some unknown person watching his every move. To know that you have been watched for practically two years, wouldn't you feel paranoid for the rest of your life that you were still being watched?

Cutting through the silence was the shrill ring of the phone, making Edward jump out of his deep thoughts. He sighed, getting up and moving over to his desk to pick the phone off its cradle before it made him deaf from its cry. Murmuring a very dull greeting, he stared out the nearby window, listening to one of the secretaries from the front desk reply to his greeting.

"There's a phone call coming in for you from an outside line. Should I let it through?"

"Yes, thank-you," Edward responded, rubbing his forehead and eyes to try and rid himself of his exhausted state.

Still, even in his tired state, something didn't make sense. Something about this whole situation didn't feel right. Lilia would be on a train right now, so she wouldn't be able to call him. Everyone he worked with was in the exact same room he had left not even ten minutes ago, and he was pretty sure that they hadn't left yet. Alphonse or Winry wouldn't call unless something had happened to one of them or Granny. So this situation was just unnerving, something that Edward didn't trust in the back of his mind.

There was a small click as the line was patched through, and at that sound he said a quiet hello. He attempted at keeping his voice even so that whoever it was on the other end wouldn't suspect anything portraying to how nervous he actually was. If anyone was in the same room as him, they would probably notice right away that he was shaking.

The voice on the other end made his heart leap into his throat, and then fall to the very bottom of his stomach. His knees buckled, but he kept his stance, both hands now gripping the phone in an iron grip.

"Lilia! Where are you? I thought you were supposed to be on a train by now!"

"I was, but that's not important right now. Ed, you have to get to the apartment, now. They're here," Lilia's voice was extremely quiet, spoken out in a low whisper. Edward had to strain to hear her, what with his pounding heart and blood rushing in his ears.

"What do you mean? Who's there?" He asked nervously, dreading what she was going to say next. If she had known that whoever was at their apartment, then she must have been there herself not too long ago.

"The psychopath who-"

Her words strangle off with a loud clatter, followed by a resounding thump. Lilia's voice screamed out in pain, a deafening sound that made Edward's eardrums ring, but also made him strain to hear more.

"_Get off of me!"_

"_You little bitch! How _dare_ you come back here!"_

More clatters and the sounds of fighting, the phone probably long forgotten and left to hang there as the two fought. Edward was terrified to listen to this, hearing the exact situation in which he tried to prevent. And what was he doing about it? Nothing. He was just standing there, listening to the other end of the phone in such frozen horror that he just couldn't do anything.

Silence came from the other end suddenly, a sound that left his heart frozen dead in its beats. There was absolutely no sound what-so-ever, from either of the two that were on the other end. Their fight was brought to silence with one particularly loud thump. Somehow, this silence was also able to bring Edward's voice back, his fear so intense that all he could think about was action, acting on his impulses and adrenaline to figure out the situation and bring it to a stop.

"Lilia? Lilia! Lilia! LILIA!"

Her name was like a mantra, repeated over and over until he finally heard some sort of movement. There were footsteps, gradually getting louder as they moved toward the most likely hanging phone. Edward was torn in two; he wasn't sure if he should have been feeling relieved or just worried. One set of footsteps could have meant anything, good or bad.

The voice he heard wasn't the one he wanted.

"What's your God going to do now Edward?"

**CLICK.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Here it is, ladies and gentlemen, the last and final chapter. There will also be an Epilogue released tomorrow. I hope you all enjoy it, and remember to review! Feedback is the best a writer can receive!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters. I only own my OCs and the plot. **

Legs kicked at the ground beneath them, propelling the body they held up forward with as much speed as the young man could muster up. Arms swung back and forth, helping him to gain momentum in his run. Large puffs of air left and entered his mouth quickly, erratically, his hot breath coming out in noticeable fog because of the cold air. The October air bit at lungs, burning his throat until it hurt to breathe, but he kept on running. Through the pain, and through every group of people he came upon, he kept on running.

Edward cursed outright at how far HQ was from his own apartment. He vaguely questioned himself why he hadn't bought a place closer to the very place he worked. That thought got shoved to the back of his mind when he then asked why he hadn't of just reported the new news to his co-workers, and therefore he would have gotten a ride. But that would have taken too much time. He needed action, not calmly telling the others that something had happened and then wait for them to move out. Something could have happened to Lilia in that time, this way Edward would have gotten there sooner then they probably would. Sometimes acting on impulse is for the greater good.

Upon the first glance of his apartment building up ahead, he pumped his legs harder, attempting to go faster to view what had happened at the apartment. Maybe they were both still there, though the outcome of either of them Edward didn't know. Something happened to Lilia, something he didn't know. He had only heard a thump on the other end of the phone after some sort of fight, and then it was merely silence. Hopefully this maniac hasn't gotten to their wish of killing Lilia, and thus separating her forever from Edward.

Edward reached his apartment in good time, even though he denied it in his mind, cursing himself that he didn't go faster. Just as he reached the door, he threw it open, silently grateful that the entrance was already unlocked. However, he wasn't grateful for the sight that met his eyes.

The room was a mess. Broken pieces of wood and glass – from objects such as the broken coffee table and picture frames – littered the floor, along with many different blood splatters. Blood was smeared in a drag-like pattern at the entrance of the hall and down toward the bedroom, disappearing beyond the closed door. Multiple make-shift and actual weapons were around the room, such as a knife covered in blood and laying near the entrance to the hall.

Edward moved deeper into the apartment, eyes shifting to his right then his left, and examining the outcome of his apartment. Despite the rugged appearance, someone still attempted to make the apartment look nice, scattering red rose petals around the room and couch that now had multiple stab marks in it. Candles were lit around the dim room from having the curtains closed, and on one end of the couch was an unopened bottle of champagne and two glasses. Someone was preparing for his return, and he had a pretty good idea who.

A click sounded out from behind him, and he whirled around, lifting his arms in a defensive stance. The door he had come through moments ago was now closed, and standing before it was the figure of the person he dreaded to see. One of his own shirts was worn on the person's smallish frame, and only that was adorned on their body. Blood dripped and oozed from multiple cuts along their arms and legs, and there was even a reasonable sized wound on their temple. The wound must have been received from a hard hit in the head by something, most likely the leg of the coffee table. Edward had no doubt that it was Lilia that marked that person with that wound.

A pink tongue crept out from behind her lips, licking at the blood near the corner of her mouth, the person's green eyes hungry with psychotic lust as they gave an up-down of Edward's body. Dark hair stuck to the person's bloodied temple, and cascaded down over her shoulders and back. Her mouth pulled back in a sadistic smirk, eyes flashing as a bloodied finger snapped the lock into place, smearing the silver in red and locking the two of them inside together.

"Just like old times, right?" The person spoke, taking a step toward her prey. Edward retaliated by taking a step back.

"You...You've been behind this... All of this... Why?" Edward said slowly, watching her movements warily.

"I came to see you, Hun. Aren't you happy? We told each other that we'd see each other again," She replied, a sadistically happy smile stretched across her face.

"You killed all those people! And for what reason! So they wouldn't get in the way of your sick fantasy!" Edward clenched his fist, lips pulled back in a snarl.

"They were in the way."

Edward paused, staring at the person's suddenly serious expression. Green eyes were shadowed dangerously, and her bloodied lips were pulled down in a deep frown. Just the mere mention of other people connected to Edward caused her emotions to drastically change. Her obsession with Edward sunk deep down, right to her very core now.

Edward stared them in the eye levelly, asking in as calm of a voice as he could, "Where's Lilia?"

There was a twitch, but otherwise silence. She looked away innocently, almost like a child who lied about taking the last cookie from the cookie jar, and began to pace around the room. Edward watched her, his body turning in the direction in which she stood, making sure that she wouldn't try anything. Meanwhile, she appeared as if she had completely forgotten he was there. Her eyes gazed at each wall, staring at each photo that she passed, at every broken object that she stepped over. Her lips moved in words that Edward couldn't understand from where he stood, each one murmured out so quietly that the sound waves wouldn't be able to reach his ear drums.

Her mumbling and walking stopped suddenly, her eyes fixed at something beside her left foot. She stared, and stared, before bending down slowly to grip at the handle. Edward jerked at the sight, arms rising instinctively in case she attacked. But she didn't. She stood there, passing the bloody knife between both hands with a mildly amused expression on her face, once more muttering something beneath her breath.

Edward stared, arms not lowering as his golden eyes continued to watch her in suspicion. At first, he wasn't able to understand anything that she had been saying to herself; it just appeared that her lips were moving but no sound was coming out. Now, she was speaking a little louder than she must have intended, because Edward was able to pick out bits and pieces of what she was saying. What she was saying was making him nauseous, each nerve in his body quivering in anxious anticipation.

"Where is Lilia?" Edward repeated, slowly, demanding.

**BAM!**

Edward jumped at the sound, watching his recently found out stalker with wide eyes. Her arm swung back to them, and then lashed out once more, knife in her hand stabbing into the wall beside her repeatedly. Multiple stab marks began to appear right before Edward's eyes, and the force of the hits shook a nearby photo off of its nail, falling to the floor and cracking the glass.

"Lilia, Lilia, Lilia! It's always about _her_! Well, I'll tell you what! You'll never have to worry where she is again! Soon all she'll be is a rotting corpse buried in the ground!" She laughed, a loud, maniacal sound that seemed to never end. It just continued, along with the thumps of the knife coming in contact with the wall.

Edward flinched with each hit. He swallowed thickly, swallowing back the nausea and sunken feeling in his gut. The maniacal grin just grew across her face, laugh never ceasing for a minute, with wide sadistic eyes watching the continuously growing larger hole in the wall. In her mind she must have been replaying the scene in which they brought Lilia or whoever to their demise, bringing back that feeling of satisfaction, and thus making that smirk grow until it took up most of her face. Edward watched this all, horrified. Whatever sanity she once had was gone, if she ever did have any sanity to begin with.

She turned on him suddenly, pointing the knife towards him with a suddenly serious expression. The mood had changed in a second, catching Edward off guard as she spoke in an eerily serious voice, "What is it about her that makes her so better than me? It was always about her. Did you ever once say my name? **NO**!"

Edward jumped at the rise in voice, taking a few steps back just in case. The person frowned at the movement away, eyes glaring disapprovingly into Edward's own. "Why are you moving away, Hun? I come see you, and this is what I get? Just questions about a dead woman and not even one hug?" She sighed exaggeratedly, waving her hands around, the knife still gripped tightly in her right hand.

Edward furrowed his brow at her words, shaking his head slowly, "You're lying... Lilia can't be..."

There it was that same grin again. She snickered evilly, gazing at the still blood stained knife happily, "Was I ever one to lie, Hun?"

Edward shook his head faster, stumbling back a few more steps, "No... There's no way she... Where is she!"

She looked up at him slowly, green eyes cold and hard. Sneering, she spat, "Why do you still _care_?"

"I _love her_!"

It didn't register to him that his words could bear a consequence until it was too late. Catching Edward off guard, she dove forward, knocking Edward back onto his back on the floor. He froze, wide eyes sliding over to look at where the knife had stabbed into the floor just inches from his head. Looking back up into their face, he watched as she growled viciously down at him, grip tightening on the knife until her knuckles were pure white.

"_**LIAR!**_" She screamed, her face pulled into one of pain. Her eyes flashed with anger and jealousy, arms shaking with held back rage.

Despite the fear curled in his gut, Edward put on a straight face, telling her exactly what he meant. He was telling the truth, and he made sure that she received that message through the glare that he shot up at her. She flinched upon receiving it, gritting her teeth and shadowing her face behind her bangs. A droplet hit Edward's cheek, shocking him as he realized that he actually had made her cry. What he thought was the beginning of sobbing shook her frame, more tears cascading down her face.

Throwing her head back, she let out a loud laugh. It echoed around the room, bouncing off of the walls to meet Edward's ears. With a snap, she looked back down at Edward, allowing him to see her tear stained psychotic expression. Her lips were once more pulled into a haunting smirk, though the tears falling down her face made them look anything but happy.

"If I can't have you, then nobody can!" She cackled, raising the knife into the air above Edward's chest with both hands.

Edward's eyes proceeded to grow wider, staring at what might be his soon to be demise shimmer in the lights of the candles. In the next moment, it's being thrust down toward his chest at frightening speed, and his breath hitched in his throat. He caught her wrists, halting her in her attempt at stabbing him, and what could've been his death. She continued to fight, however, growling out and putting more strength into her attack. Gritting his teeth, he gripped tighter, trying desperately to keep the knife point from his chest. It still slowly descended though, their strength surprising Edward.

Narrowing his eyes up at her, he brought up his legs and kicked her off. She flew a bit away, hitting the ground with a loud thump. She tumbled onto her side, and glared up at Edward who was getting up quickly. She followed his lead slowly. In her hand remained the knife, something that Edward had hoped would have flown across the room when he threw her.

She raised her arm, preparing for another attack when she paused. She stared dubiously at the gun Edward had pulled from his holster, pointing it straight at them. Edwards molten gaze stayed level, glaring into her green, when inside he was shaking. With rage, with fear, he didn't exactly know. It felt like every emotion possible with swarming throughout him, making him feel everything possible. Happiness for finally giving this person an identity. Fear for almost dying only recently. Sorrow for what might have become of Lilia.

And rage, for what this person had done to all those people.

Growling, she began to run forward anyways, probably thinking that Edward wouldn't do it. Gripping the gun tightly, fingers shaking and eyes clenching shut, he squeezed the trigger. The sound that echoed around them was deafening, and even behind closed eyelids Edward saw the flash. The sound of her running feet, however, ceased. It was at this moment that Edward slowly opened his eyes, meeting the shocked green eyes. Slowly, the green orbs looked down, one hand rising to touch at the new blood spot forming on her chest. Sputtering, she gazed at blood stained fingers, before looking back at Edward, a small smile appearing on her now blood covered lips. With eyes rolling into the back of her head, she fell backwards, her dead body landing with a thump.

Edward stumbled a bit, dropping the gun and clutching at his head. He breathed heavily, staring down at the woman he had just killed. Her brunette hair lay around her head, and with her lips pulled upright slightly she almost looked peaceful. She found enjoyment by Edward killing her, adding another question about this strange woman. Her green eyes were now closed, and Edward remembered how they used to look at him. He should have realized it, should have seen how that woman's eyes always used to brighten upon seeing him, and would be clouded with want whenever he spoke to them. But he didn't. He just treated her the same way he treated most people, and neglected to notice petty details about her.

Brekhart had brought forth two psychotic people throughout Edward's life. First it was that pyromaniac Edward had been sent there for in the first place, and by doing that he had met a demented stalker by staying in that person's very own hotel. It made him nervous, trying desperately to recall if there had been any odd experiences throughout the time of his stay. He couldn't know for sure, though, since it had been two years. She could have raped him in his sleep for all he knew. After he left, Brekhart believed that she had disappeared mysteriously, but she hadn't. She followed him. She didn't want him to leave, and believed that Edward didn't want to leave neither.

"_We'll see each other again, right Hun?"_

"_Huh? Oh yeah, sure."_

What she believed was him agreeing to see her again was merely a subconscious reply while his mind was thinking about what to jot down on the report on the way home. She misread his words, and took them to heart.

And for some reason, he couldn't help but feel bad, because he couldn't even remember her name.

Edward then looked toward the hallway, eyeing the blood smears. He had a feeling that was where Lilia had been taken. Giving the dead woman one last glance, he hurried toward where the trail ended, his bedroom door. Upon opening the door, however, his breath hitched and his heart stopped. What he hoped wouldn't be true, had just become reality.

There was blood smeared over most of the floor, leading Edward like a trail to a body laying face down. The persons black hair was splayed all around her head, matted and messy from the fight that she had gone through. Skin was paler than usual, enhancing her dark hair and the blood smeared in random places along her arms and mid-section. One of her slender arms was curled around her abdomen loosely, while the other was reached out toward her only hope to escape, the door.

Edward couldn't breathe. Stumbling forward, he slowly approached the body, wide eyes never leaving the frozen form. At a closer range, he could point out that they're clothing was torn in many places, and that the random smears weren't from someone else. It was her own blood, oozing out of multiple cuts and stab wounds around her body. What was the most noticeable was the dark red puddle that the person laid in.

Edward fell to his knees at her side, breathing heavily and quickly as he examined the body multiple times over and over again. His military pants were now stained at the knee's in the person's blood, and soon his gloves were too when he gripped her shoulder lightly and rolled them onto her back. Edward's eyes widened even larger, taking in the pained expression of the woman before him. Slow, uneven breaths left her pale lips, and sweat slowly dripped down her sickly green face. More blood was found here, in a display of splatters in a random design of some sick form of art. Edward trailed his eyes down to her stomach, looking at the large, almost black blood stain covering her entire shirt. Her arm was just covered in the liquid, and still more escaped through her fingers. On her thigh there was another semi-large blood stain, making the stab wound there appear nearly unnoticeable in the sea of red. Quivering, Edward brought his gaze back up to her face, freezing when his gold eyes met with sapphire.

Lilia coughed, choking on the blood that was rising in her throat. It leaked out past her lips, staining them and her chin as it slowly dripped down along her chin, to the base of her neck. Edward stared in shock, lips trembling and jaw slack in disbelief. He watched as she tossed her head to the side, still coughing to help bring the blood past her lips. It stained their floor even more, until the coughing died down, and Lilia was left breathing quickly in short spurts.

"L...Lilia...?"

Her head rolled back over to look up at him, forcing a small smile onto her lips. Sapphire eyes were dark and haunted, only half lidded and glazed, and he felt that he must have been only a mere blur to her. Edward bit down onto his bottom lip, reaching out to pull Lilia into a semi-sitting position so that it would be a little easier to breathe. Her head lent against his arm and the upper half of her body was pulled onto his lap, leaving her legs to sprawl out in front of them. As Edward shifted her position, she winced, a small yelp of pain leaving her lips, and then another small coughing fit.

"B...But...why? H-how? You were supposed to be on a train!" Edward cried, arms shaking and a sob threatening to break loose from his throat. Tears stung at the back of his eyes, but he repeatedly blinked, hoping to keep them at bay for a while longer.

"I...came back..." Lilia mumbled, blood creeping out of the corners of her mouth with each word spoken. "Forgot...my wallet...Ironic, huh...?"

"H-how...?"

"The bitch...got me...in...the...leg...It all went...downhill from there... Fucker...was tougher...then they looked...smarter...too...Still...a crazy...bitch though..."

Edward bowed his head, clenching his eyes shut tightly. A whimper managed to break past the tight clench of his teeth, and even some salty liquid squeezed out of the corners of his clenched eyelids. He didn't care anymore. Who wanted to act tough when they're own lover was lying, bleeding, in their own arms?

"Hey, Ed...?"

Edward looked back up at her, the image of her blurred from his oncoming tears. His body shook with the sobs building up, throat tight in despair at the show before him.

"Momma...always told me...I was named Lilia...cause it meant lily...and lily meant purity..."

Edward blinked, sending more liquid sliding down his cheeks. He was confused, wondering what Lilia was going on about. It was possible that the blood loss was now affecting her way of thinking, and thus making her a bit loopy. It was devastating, seeing her going on about her name with this crooked smile on her face and covered in blood.

"But...that's not all it means... I heard...from a patient...once...that it was weird...for...someone...whose name...meant lily...which signified...death...was...working...as a...nurse..."

"Lilia..."

"And...now...I'm...dying... Ironic, eh Edward...?"

"You're not going to die, you hear me! You're stronger than that!"

"Don't...lie...to yourself...Edward..."

Edward shook his head frantically. She was loopy from blood loss, he told himself, and she didn't know what she was talking about. She was going to be okay, she was going to live through this and then look back at what she said and laugh. Just like she always did. Look back at her mistakes, and laugh it off.

He denied it. He couldn't face that her breaths were getting slower, that her eyelids were slowly dropping slowly more and more as each moment went on. Her head bobbed, falling back until it hung there with her hair falling away from her face. Lips were parted, allowing the slow and uneven breaths to be released, along with the blood that was still coming up out of her lungs every once and a while.

"You can't leave me..." He sobbed, hiding his face against her chest. "You'll be fine..."

There was silence for a few minutes, where even the barely noticeable sound of her breathing ceased. Edward looked up hesitantly, blood now stained along the side of his face, stained with even more of Lilia's blood. Her sapphire eyes were closed, her face peaceful with no breath struggling to escape from her lungs. Her head hung over the crevice in Edward's arm, and the arm wound around her abdomen was limp and now laying in her lap. No matter how long Edward stared, there wasn't any movement, and just like that she was gone.

"Lilia...?" There was nothing, no response, not even a twitch. Gently shaking her, Edward whimpered out her name again, "Lilia? Come on...please wake up..."

She shook with his hand, and then just lay however she ended up, once more frozen. A strange whining sound broke from Edward's throat, slowly getting louder until it was an outright cry. The sound echoed around the apartment, sounding like nothing to Edward, but sounded like the worst of cries to the military members that had just arrived just outside the front door of his apartment.

Edward heard them break the door in, their military boots clacking against the hardwood that covered most of his apartment. They stayed in the living room for a moment, before he heard a few pairs beginning to head down toward the bedroom. He didn't care, let them see. Let them see what that maniac had done. He just continued to sob, head beginning to ache and throat clenching in despair.

"Oh my God..." Hughes choked out, him and Mustang freezing in the doorway upon the sight of Edward clutching onto Lilia's body.

Hughes was the first to move forward, stepping cautiously toward the crying young man. He kneeled beside Edward, placing a hand on his shoulder, making the blonde bring his tearful gaze up at Hughes. Forcing a reassuring smile onto his face, Hughes felt his own tears beginning to swell up in his eyes. Gently, he pulled Lilia's body from Edward's arms, laying her across the floor and lifting Edward to his feet. Even though Edward fought at first, he ended up giving in, walking alongside Hughes with his blonde bangs hanging over his face and sobs still breaking loose from his lips.

Right when the three stepped back into the living room, it was like something snapped inside of Edward. All it took was for his eyes to land on that woman's body and whatever composure he might've had just cracked and broke. The others didn't notice, instead they only began to discuss about what they had found and ignored the fact that Edward had just lifted the knife from the floor. They didn't hear his feet walking toward the body, or the sound of his knee's hitting the floor. His golden eyes glinted with rage, arms raising the knife like she had done to him earlier. Instead the knife came into contact with her own chest.

The military members whirled around upon the sound, eyes widening as they watched Edward raise the knife and stab it back into their already dead body. They couldn't move, too shocked at seeing Edward loose his cool. He didn't even realize they were watching him, raising and stabbing the knife repetitively, unending, like the fate of his apartment's wall. The hits became harder, faster, making blood splatter across his face and chest. The hate and anger made itself known through his attack, and his very own demented expression.

Suddenly hands were grabbing at him, pulling him away from the body forcefully. He yelled out his disagreement, struggling against the hands. Mustang grabbed the man's wrist, plying the knife from his rock hard grip and throwing it across the room. Edward continued to fight against Havoc and Hughes' grips, trying to reach the body so he could pound more of his frustration onto her.

"Ed, calm down, they're already dead!"

"They killed Lilia! The bitch _killed her_!"

A slap echoed around the room, making all the men freeze. Edward's face was turned off to the right, gold eyes wide, while he received one of the coldest glares from Hawkeye, her arm still raised after slapping Edward. He turned to look up at her warily, the dead weight he had become suddenly too much for Hughes and Havoc. They lost their grip on him, allowing him to slide from their hands and land on the floor on his behind. Hawkeye and he continued to stare at each other, neither really acknowledging that Edward had just fallen to the ground.

Edwards face pulled into one of pain, fresh tears spilling out of his eyes with a sharp intake of breath. The realization of his actions slapped him in the face and he bowed his head in dismay. Another sob wracked his body, followed by multiple whimpers, while his tears splattered across the floor. Hawkeye's face softened once she found that her action had caused the right consequences, kneeling down in front of the broken young man. She wrapped her arms around him, allowing him the comfort that he needed, but denied that he truly did. Still, he accepted the hug, crying out.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...!"


	7. Epilogue

**Here is the epilogue, the very last detail for this story TT^TT So sad! And happy too, because this is the first chaptered story that I finished on here XD **

**To make this chapter more emotional, I advise that you listen to the song "Why?" by Ayaka.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OCs and the plot. **

A light breeze blew over the quiet graveyard, blowing a young man's ponytail around with it. His golden eyes stared down at the tombstone in front of him, face void of any emotion but eyes holding such a sorrowful shine. He clenched his eyes shut, recalling the scenario that had taken place just over a year ago, his heart strings pulling painfully when he remembered her bloody smile. Even when she was covered in blood and dying, she still managed to have a smile on her face. He missed it, wished that he could see it again besides in photographs. He longed to hear her voice again, feel her arms around him after a long day at work. It was painful, returning to a now empty home when he still remembers the companion he had just a year ago.

Edward Elric sighed deeply, opening his eyes once more. The grave in front of him was simple enough, but nicer looking than the ones that surrounded it. Not as much moss and grub covered the polished stone, and it was one of the few that had a bouquet placed atop it. They were lilies, white and pure, creating an even bigger sense of irony in that situation.

"**Lilia Julian**

**Friend, Lover, and Daughter**

**You Will Be Missed**"

Edward read those words repeatedly, agreeing with the last sentence greatly. She was missed dearly by everyone. Everyone at the hospital was devastated by the news; her patients hysterical when they heard that they're "angel in disguise" had left them. Everyone in the office missed her as well, and whenever she was brought up they would all try to remember all of the happy memories, instead of the sad ones. Alphonse and Winry refused to believe it at first, but when they finally reached Central it seemed like it had just slapped them in the face. Winry had only met Lilia a few times, but they still considered each other as a friend. Alphonse was fond of Lilia as well, since he was always grateful for the work she did to try and keep his brother alive.

The funeral was an even bigger mess. The mother requested that her daughter be buried out in the country where she now lived, making funeral plans a bit of a mess. In the end, it worked out, even if some people were unable to get there because of work or unable to catch a train. A good amount still came out, and none of those people left without some form of crying. Edward stayed strong throughout most of it, but when he got to the house where he was staying – with Lilia's mother – he just couldn't hold it anymore. To be surrounded by pictures of her throughout the many years of her life was just too hard.

"Oh! I didn't expect someone else to be out here!"

Edward turned at the voice, gold eyes meeting with sapphire. Feeling his stomach curling at the familiar eye color, he somehow forced a smile onto his face at the older woman. Her grey hair was pulled into a bun with a few strands coming loose here and there. Though she was well past their seventies by now, her face still had a bit of a young glow to it, holding not as many wrinkles as some would expect. On her body was a button-up white blouse, and some black slacks, with a jacket hanging off of her elbow. In her hands, she held a bouquet of spider lilies.

"Mrs. Julian..." Edward murmured, "It's nice to see you again."

"You too, Edward," The woman responded, giving him a soft smile. She moved past him, laying the bouquet next to his own and then raised her hands, giving a silent prayer. Once she was finished, she stood again, looking at the younger man, "How have you been?"

Edward shrugged. Honestly, he really didn't know. Everything seemed like it was going too fast, even though it had been a year. After Lilia's death (he refused to acknowledge the death of that maniac), everything just seemed like a blur. Everything eventually smoothed out for Edward, but that didn't mean that he was completely over it. He still had reoccurring nightmares of the event, and the paranoia of someone watching him had yet to go away. He was continuously fidgeting and nervous about some person just standing outside his window for the first few months after the incident, but he got better over time. Sure, he still checked over his shoulder constantly, but he wasn't obsessive with making sure that there was nobody following him. The only thing that still really struck him besides the paranoia he still had at reoccurring moments was the death of Lilia.

"I see," Mrs. Julian mused, smiling sadly, "You need to let it go, Edward. What's done is done."

Edward sighed, nodding his head, though he knew that he still had a while before he truly let it go. It was too hard, letting go of something that was once so precious to him. It was like everyone he got close to died on him.

"If you want, we can head down to the house and catch up," Mrs. Julian offered, attempting to lift the mood.

Edward shook his head, "I can't. I was only passing through and decided to come visit her grave..."

"I thought it was odd that you were wearing your uniform," Mrs. Julian commented, examining the navy blue uniform that he wore, "Well, it was nice seeing you nevertheless."

"You too," Edward smiled.

Mrs. Julian turned, but then stopped, looking back at Edward. She smiled, a sight that reminded Edward of Lilia's own grin, "You know, my daughter loved you very much. I still remember when she first realized her feelings; I couldn't get her to stop freaking out." Mrs. Julian paused to chuckle, shaking her head. "What I'm saying Edward is that she wouldn't want you to keep fretting over her death. You can still come and visit, but come a little happier next time, alright? I'm sure she'd enjoy seeing your bright, handsome face instead of the sad one you bear now." With that said, she left Edward with what she said, his jaw slack in slight shock.

After she was out of sight, Edward sighed for the millionth time that day, running a hand through his hair. He took one more glance at Lilia's name carved into the stone, before bending down to grab his suitcase sitting at his feet. He stopped in mid-bend, eyes rising to look at the figure now in front of him. When his eyes landed on their face, his breath hitched and his eyes widened.

Pale lips were curved in a sympathetic smile, dark hair blowing with the wind. Sapphire eyes were glossy with unshed tears, and soon Edward's were the same. He stood straight quickly, taking in the person's entire form, only to feel his stomach drop. They were there, but they weren't. Her form was partially see through, making it so that Edward could just barely see the scenary on the other side of her.

Edward's eyes proceeded to grow wider when they raised a hand to stroke his cheek, a familiar feeling he had yet to forget. Rising herself onto her tip-toes, she placed a soft kiss against Edward's lips, before resting her forehead against his. They both closed their eyes, smiling in bliss at the familiar actions. She whispered out some words, and when Edward opened his eyes, she was gone.

With a tight throat, a few tears managed to fall from his eyes, but he kept his smile. With his spirit lifted, he grabbed his suitcase in one hand and headed down the grassy hill, heading toward the train station to get back to Central before Mustang chewed off his head.

"_Did you really think I would leave you, you idiot?"_

**I hope you enjoyed the story! I actually enjoyed Lilia as a character, but it'd be nice to hear if there is any Mary-Sue like qualities in her. If so, I'll make sure to fix it right away. I don't know how many more of you are confused by the stalker, but I had received one question. Whoever else if feeling confused, please make yourselves known so I can make some changes to make it more clear.**

**Who else felt bad for Edward by the end of this story?**

**Please review!**


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